Indian-origin woman found murdered in London, police on the lookout for her husband

An Indian-origin woman was found murdered in London recently. The Northamptonshire Police are on the lookout for the husband of the young woman in connection with the murder.

The victim has been identified as 24-year-old Harshita Brella, according to a press release issued by the Northamptonshire Police.

Harshita Brella’s body was found in the boot of a car left in east London earlier this week, triggering an international manhunt for her husband Pankaj Lamba who is suspected of murder.

She had previously been the victim of domestic violence and in early September was made subject of a Domestic Violence Protection Order at Northampton Magistrates’ Court.

The order, which only lasted 28 days, banned the perpetrator of the violence from visiting her workplace, police said. The person was was prevented from molesting her, from threatening violence, or intimidating, harassing or pestering her, and also told not to encourage or instruct others to contact her in any way.

The UK police suspect that Pankaj Lamba has fled the country.

A murder investigation was launched after the body of the woman, who police have now named as Harshita, was found in a car in east London. The finding came about after Northamptonshire Police received a call on Wednesday, November 13, regarding concerns for Harshita’s welfare.

Officers were deployed to her home address in Skegness Walk, Corby, and after getting no answer, launched a missing person investigation. Fast-track enquiries were made which sadly led to the discovery of a woman’s body inside the boot of a vehicle in Brisbane Road in the Ilford area of London, in the early hours of Thursday, November 14.

A forensic postmortem examination, which took place at Leicester Royal Infirmary on Friday, November 15, established that Harshita had been murdered, a statement issued by the police said.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Johnny Campbell from the East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit (EMSOU), said: “First of all, I want to express my heartfelt condolences to everyone who loved Harshita Brella.

“She was a young woman in her early 20s with her whole life ahead of her and it is absolutely tragic that her life has been cut short in this way.

“Detectives from EMSOU and Northamptonshire Police are working around the clock to establish the circumstances behind her death, including the exact location and timeframe in which it took place.”