New Delhi:
On the morning of November 11, police in East London’s Ilford found a body inside the boot of a silver Vauxhall Corsa parked on Brisbane Road. The body was of 24-year-old Harshita Brella, an Indian woman who was born in Delhi and moved to the United Kingdom in April this year after marrying Pankaj Lamba in August last year. Days earlier, she had disappeared from her home in Northamptonshire. A post-mortem examination of the body revealed that she had been strangled.
According to the police, Harshita had likely been murdered by her husband, Pankaj, 23, who allegedly fled the country shortly after committing the crime. Harshita’s body, concealed in the car’s boot, had been transported 145 kilometres south to Ilford before being abandoned.
“Our inquiries lead us to suspect that Harshita was murdered in Northamptonshire earlier this month by her husband Pankaj Lamba,” said Northampton Police.
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“We suspect Lamba transported Harshita’s body from Northamptonshire to Ilford (east London) by car. We believe he has now fled the country… More than 60 detectives are working on the case and are continuing to follow numerous lines of inquiry, including house-to-house, property searches, CCTV and ANPR (automatic number plate recognition),” the statement added.
Harshita was last heard from on the evening of November 10, when she told her family she was preparing dinner and awaiting her husband’s return. Concern grew when her phone remained off for two days, prompting her family to contact Northamptonshire Police on November 13. Officers visiting her home on Skegness Walk found no trace of her, prompting an investigation.
The next day, in the early hours of November 14, her body was discovered in Ilford. By then, Pankaj had disappeared, evading authorities and sparking an international manhunt.
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The murder investigation revealed Harshita had endured a history of domestic violence. In September, she was granted a Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO) against her husband following incidents of abuse. However, despite legal measures, the threat remained.
Neighbours reported hearing arguments from the couple’s home in the days before her death. One recalled a particularly intense confrontation in which a woman “sounded scared.”
Harshita’s family, based in Delhi, spoke of their anguish in media interviews. Her father, Satbir Brella, described her as a simple, determined young woman with aspirations of becoming a teacher. After marrying Pankaj in an arranged match, she moved to the UK in April. According to Harshita’s sister Sonia Dabas, she worked in a warehouse and Pankaj was a student in London.
“I want my son-in-law to be brought to justice and I want my daughter’s body brought home,” said Satbir Brella, Harshita’s father, as quoted by the BBC.
“She was a part of me and I was a part of her. I now feel like I can’t do anything in life without her,” said Sonia, adding that Harshita had previously fled her home after being assaulted by Pankaj but returned, hoping to salvage the marriage.
According to the family, Pankaj had complained about Harshita speaking too often to her mother or not preparing meals on time. In August, Harshita called her father to say she had run away due to Pankaj’s violent behaviour.
CCTV images released by the police show the silver Vauxhall Corsa, which investigators believe was used to transport Harshita’s body. However, Pankaj’s whereabouts remain unknown. Police have appealed to the public for any information about sightings of Pankaj or suspicious activity in Corby and Ilford around the time of the murder.