Ilford automotive boot homicide sufferer Harshita Brella, 24, was ‘strangled’ to demise, police reveal – as CCTV of fugitive husband’s final recognized actions launched
A woman whose body was found in a car boot in east London died of strangulation, police said today.
Harshita Brella, 24, was found inside the boot of a vehicle on Brisbane Road in Ilford, east London, in the early hours of Thursday.
An international manhunt is currently underway for Ms Brella’s husband Pankaj Lamba, 23, suspected of killing his wife and driving 100 miles to ditch her body. He is believed to have fled to India.
Yesterday, it emerged Ms Brella had previously tried to run away from her husband, and that she first went to police claiming to have been the victim of domestic violence in August.
Her sister Sonia Dabas said: ‘Our world has been turned upside down. We’re calling on the UK and Indian governments to capture him.’
Harshita Brella, 24, was found inside the boot of a vehicle on Brisbane Road in Ilford, east London, in the early hours of Thursday
Northamptonshire Police have named her husband Pankaj Lamba, 23, as a suspect
Videos on social media of Ms Brella’s wedding in India in March show her panting for breath, placing a hand on her chest, with the caption: ‘That nervousness after becoming bride.’
She had spent £300 on make-up and an elaborate wedding lehenga skirt.
Ms Brella last spoke to her family on November 10. Ms Dabas said her sister’s phone was off for the next two days, and by Wednesday they ‘thought something was wrong’ and asked people they knew to file a police complaint.
Speaking to the BBC from Delhi, the family revealed Ms Brella had been ‘excited’ to move to the UK in April.
But at the end of August, she phoned her father to say she had run away from the couple’s home.
Tragic final videos show ‘very happy’ Ms Brella, 24, on her wedding day just months before her body was found in a car boot in Ilford
Ms Brella with her sister in a video during ornate ceremonies solemnising her marriage to Pankaj Lamba
Harshita and Lamba tied the knot in March
Forensic officers at Ms Brella’s home in Corby, Northamptonshire
Officers at murder victim Ms Brella’s home in Corby on Sunday morning
Ms Brella’s body was found 94 miles from her home in Northamptonshire
Ms Dabas recalled: ‘[Harshita] said he was hitting her and she escaped. She ran out on the streets, he chased after her.’
Lamba was later arrested and bailed with conditions not to contact her. A domestic violence protection order was granted but he was not charged with any offence.
Last Wednesday, police received a call about concerns for Ms Brella’s welfare. Her body was found the next day, 100 miles from her home in Corby, Northamptonshire, and on Sunday, Lamba was named as the prime suspect.
