Wife found dead in boot of car was strangled as new CCTV released of prime suspect

19 November 2024, 15:47 | Updated: 19 November 2024, 16:46

A woman found dead in boot of car was strangled, postmortem shows, as new CCTV released of prime suspect.

A forensic postmortem examination into the death of Harshita Brella gave the preliminary cause of death as strangulation.

It comes after Brella's mother said she wants "justice for my daughter" after the 24-year-old's body was discovered in a car boot in Ilford, east London.

Brella’s family, who live in Delhi, spoke through tears as they described how "very excited" she was to move to the UK in April following an arranged marriage with Pankaj Lamba.

Northamptonshire Police named Mr Lamba as the prime suspect in the murder of the 24-year-old after her body was discovered in the boot of a vehicle in Ilford, east London, during the early hours of Thursday morning.

Her body was found more than 100 miles from her home in Corby, Northamptonshire.

Now, Ms Brella's family have recalled their "studious" daughter, telling the BBC they had last spoken to Ms Brella by phone on 10 November.

Ms Dabas described how her sister, Ms Brella, "didn't live a very happy life in London".She struggled a lot because of her husband," she said.

Her sister explained that the 24-year-old had made dinner for her husband and was waiting for Mr Lamba to return home.

Ms Dabas added that her sister's phone was then turned off for the next two days, with the family believing that "something was wrong" after nothing was heard from her by 13 November.

Northamptonshire Police has since said it was contacted on Wednesday regarding concerns for her welfare - and that led to the discovery of her body and the launch of a murder investigation.

At the end of August, Ms Brella even phoned her father in India to tell him that she had run away and was no longer happy.

"She said he was hitting her and she escaped," her father recounted.

"She ran out on the streets, he chased after her and hit her there as well," Ms Dabas said.

"There was a local who saw this and asked what happened which is why he left her. Harshita called someone she knew who came to pick her up".

An international manhunt is underway for the husband of Ms Brella, of Corby.

Chief Inspector Paul Cash told a press conference in Kettering: "Inquiries lead us to suspect that Harshita was murdered in Northamptonshire earlier this month by her husband Pankaj Lamba.

"We suspect Lamba transported Harshita's body from Northamptonshire to Ilford by car. We believe he has now fled the country.

The force was contacted on Wednesday by a member of the public concerned for her welfare.

Officers went to her home in Skegness Walk, Corby, but got no answer.

The Times reported that neighbours described the address as a multiple occupancy property that had previously housed up to 12 people.A missing person investigation was launched and her body was found in the car.

A post-mortem examination established that she had been murdered.

Earlier a police spokesman confirmed Ms Brella had previously been the victim of domestic violence and in early September was made subject of a Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO) at Northampton Magistrates' Court.Northamptonshire Police have also made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) because of previous contact between the force and Ms Brella.

Chief Inspector Cash said police had followed "a number of lines of investigation and carried out numerous inquiries".

He added: "Officers and detectives from the East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit and Northamptonshire Police, working with colleagues from the Metropolitan Police, have been working around the clock to establish the circumstances behind Harshita's death, including the exact location and timeframe in which it took place.

"More than 60 detectives are working on the case. Investigators are carrying out house-to-house inquiries and property searches, and looking at CCTV and ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) images in order to try and find leads.

Chief Inspector Cash urged anyone who thinks they can help bring Ms Brella's killer to justice to get in touch.

He said: "If you saw anything suspicious in the past week or have any information, no matter how small, please contact us.

"We would always rather receive well-meaning information that turns out to be nothing as opposed to not receiving it all."

Anyone who may have information is asked to call police on 101 quoting Operation Westcott or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

They can also submit information online at mipp.police.uk.