Harshita Brella’s body was found in east London and has triggered an international manhunt for her husband, Pankaj Lamba, who is believed to have fled the country
The family of a woman found murdered in her car boot have demanded their son-in-law be “brought to justice”.
Harshita Brella’s body was found in east London earlier last week, triggering an international manhunt for her husband Pankaj Lamba – who is suspected of murder. Dozens of detectives are now investigating the circumstances around her death and are searching for Lamba, who is believed to have fled the country.
Her parents, Sudesh Kumari and Satbir Brella said they want justice for their daughter. Mr Brella said: “I want my son-in-law to be brought to justice and I want my daughter’s body brought home.”
Harshita’s mother, meanwhile, told the BBC: “I just want justice for my daughter.” Officers were sent to her home address in Corby, and after getting no answer, launched a missing person investigation. Fast-track enquiries were made which led to the discovery of her body inside the boot.
At a press conference on Sunday, police confirmed that they were now searching for Harshita’s husband Pankaj Lamba. They said they believe he murdered her earlier this month and transported her body almost 100 miles from Corby to Ilford before fleeing the country.
“Our inquiries lead us to suspect that Harshita was murdered in Northamptonshire earlier this month by her husband Pankaj Lamba,” Northamptonshire Police Chief Inspector told press in Kettering. “We suspect Lamba transported Harshita’s body from Northamptonshire to Ilford by car. We believe he has now fled the country.”
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 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. Although we believe Harshita was attacked by someone known to her, we are keeping an open mind, and would appeal to anyone who knew her to contact us with any relevant information they may have.
“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 has any information that could help detectives bring Harshita’s killer to justice, is asked to call police on 101 quoting incident number 24000678713.
