The body of a 24-year-old Indian woman, Harshita Brella, was discovered in the boot of a silver Vauxhall Corsa parked on Brisbane Road, Ilford, East London, on November 11. Originally from Delhi, Harshita had moved to the UK in April after marrying 23-year-old Pankaj Lamba.
Harshita had been reported missing from her Northamptonshire home days before the grim discovery. A postmortem conducted on November 14 confirmed that she had been strangled to death.
Police investigations revealed that Lamba allegedly killed Harshita in Corby on the evening of November 10. He is suspected of driving her body over 100 miles from Corby to Ilford in the car where her corpse was eventually found.
Authorities are piecing together the events leading to the tragedy, with Lamba now a prime suspect. The case has sent shockwaves through the local community, and further investigations are underway.
The incident has also drawn attention to the challenges faced by young immigrants navigating personal and cultural pressures, sparking conversations about domestic abuse and support for vulnerable individuals in the diaspora.
“We believe Lamba drove Harshita’s body from Northamptonshire to Ilford, which is in east London. We think that he has now left the country. House-to-house, property searches, CCTV, and ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) are just a few of the many lines of investigation that the more than 60 detectives working on the case are continuing to pursue,” the police statement said.
Investigations
The police claim that on November 13, they received a call alerting them about Harshita’s disappearance. They went to her house on Corby’s Skegness Walk but were unable to locate her.
Her corpse was subsequently found inside the boot of a car on Brisbane Road in the Ilford neighbourhood of London after a missing person inquiry was started.
When Harshita last spoke to her family on the evening of November 10, she informed them that she was getting ready for supper and waiting for her husband to come home. When her phone didn’t work for two days, her family became concerned and on November 13 called Northamptonshire Police.
“We are still looking for information, and I would encourage anybody who might have seen Pankaj Lamba in Corby, Ilford, or anywhere in the days before Harshita’s death was found to get in touch with the police right away if they saw anything suspicious. Even the smallest piece of information might be important to the inquiry and aid in Harshita’s justice.”
“Harshita’s family continues to receive support from specialist officers, and our thoughts are with them during this very trying time as they attempt to cope with the tragic loss of their daughter and sister,” the official stated.
Domestic abuse history
Harshita had a history of domestic abuse, according to the murder inquiry. After experiencing assault, she was given a Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO) against her husband in September. But the threat persisted in spite of the judicial actions.
In the days before to her passing, neighbours claimed to have heard disputes coming from the couple’s house. One recounted an especially heated exchange when a lady “sounded scared.”
Harshita’s father, Satbir Brella, was cited by the BBC as saying, “I want my son-in-law to be brought to justice and I want my daughter’s body brought home.” Harshita had earlier left her house because Pankaj had abused her, but she had returned in an attempt to save the marriage.
The family claims that Pankaj had voiced concerns about Harshita talking to her mother too much or not cooking meals on time. Harshita contacted her father in August to tell him that she had fled because of Pankaj’s aggressive attitude.
According to police, Harshita had been protected by a domestic violence injunction that prohibited her husband from contacting or threatening her.
The family wants to return her body to India, her father told the BBC. “If her soul finds peace, perhaps we will too,” he remarked.