On the morning of 11 November, a body was found in the boot of a silver Vauxhall Corsa parked on the Brisbane Road in Ilford, East London.

The victim was later identified as 24-year-old Harshita Brella, an Indian woman from Delhi. She moved to England in April after marrying Pankaj Lamba in August last year.

A missing person investigation was launched specifically in the East Midlands region of England. The police launched an operation to catch her husband, who they believe fled the country for allegedly killing his wife.

The autopsy performed on his body determined that he was strangled to death before being placed in the trunk of the car. BBC reported.

Detectives investigating the murder of Harshita Brella, from Corby, are renewing appeals for information and releasing new CCTV footage of the suspect as they continue their investigation into the circumstances leading to her death. Read more here: pic.twitter.com/ThkQCu1EtE

— Northants Police (@NorthantsPolice) 19 November 2024

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What happened?

Brella was last heard from on the evening of November 10, when she said she was preparing dinner for her family and was waiting for her husband Lamba to return home.

When his phone remained switched off for two days, his worried family contacted Northamptonshire Police on November 13. Officers visited his home in Skegness Walk but found no sign of him, leading to an investigation.

The next day, 14 November, her body was found in the boot of a car in Ilford, East London. By then the Lamp had disappeared, leading to an international manhunt.

Northamptonshire Police Chief Inspector Paul Cash told a press conference: “We suspect Lamba transported Harshita’s body by car from Northamptonshire to Ilford. “We now believe he has fled the country.”

Northamptonshire Police have since released CCTV footage linked to the investigation, including photographs of a silver Vauxhall Corsa believed to have been used to transport Harshita’s body to Ilford on November 11.

Detective Chief Inspector Johnny Campbell, of the East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit, said: “We suspect Harshita’s body was placed in the boot of the vehicle by Lamba before leaving Corby.

“Lamba then left the vehicle in Brisbane Road, Ilford and fled.”

Remarkably, a police spokesman said: BBC It was stated that Brella had previously been subjected to domestic violence and a Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO) was issued by the Northampton Magistrates’ Court in September.

A neighbor also reported hearing two intense arguments in the days before Harshita’s body was found, one of which left the woman looking “frightened.”

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Who was Harshita Brella? What has the investigation revealed so far?

Harshita Brella was an Indian woman living in Delhi who moved to England in April after marrying Pankaj Lamba.

His sister Sonia Dabas said: BBC He said the family “thought something was wrong” when his phone was off for two days on Nov. 13. According to Dabas, Lamba was studying in London while Brella was working in a warehouse.

Harshita’s father, Satbir Brella, described her as a simple and serious young woman who had aspirations of becoming a teacher.

Detective Chief Inspector Johnny Campbell said: “She was a young woman in her early 20s with her whole life ahead of her and it is absolutely tragic that her life was cut short in this way. Detectives from EMSOU and Northamptonshire Police are working around the clock to establish the circumstances behind the death and the exact location and time period when it occurred.”

Northamptonshire Police Chief Inspector Paul Cash said on Sunday that more than 60 detectives were actively investigating the incident. Police also released a picture of Pankaj Lamba and asked for the public’s help in finding him.

Investigators believe Brella’s killing was a “targeted incident” and are appealing for anyone with information to come forward. While police say there is no wider risk to the public, extra patrols are being deployed in Corby to reassure the public.

Northamptonshire Police duly referred the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to prior contact between the victim and police.

Officers are currently trying to confirm the events that led to Brella’s disappearance from his home in Corby, about 145 kilometers north of London, and his body being found in the boot of a car in East London.

‘He fought hard because…’

Now the Brella family has made a heartfelt appeal, calling for justice and renewing its request for information.

To talk BBC On Tuesday, his mother Sudesh Kumari, father Satbir Brella and sister Sonia Dabas expressed grief and demanded answers.

Satbir Brella said, “I want my son-in-law to be brought to justice and my daughter’s body to be brought home.”

Sonia Dabas said, “It was very difficult because of her husband,” adding that she suggested Brella “leave it and come to India.”

He added: “He was a part of me and I was a part of him. Now I feel like I can’t do anything in life without him.

According to the family, Brella’s husband criticized her for not preparing meals on time and for talking to her mother too often. Brella called her father in India in August and told him that she had run away because of her husband’s violent behavior.

Police confirmed that Harshita was under the protection of a domestic violence order that prevented her husband from threatening or approaching her.

His father said the following BBC that the family hoped to bring his body back to India. “His soul can find peace, then maybe we can too,” he said.

With input from agencies