The family of a woman whose body was found in a car boot in east London have appealed for justice and shared their heartbreak over her killing.
The older sister of ‘murdered’ Harshita Brella, 24, took to social media and declared in a moving post: ‘Please help for justice with my sister.’
Sonia Dabas’s husband Tarun Dabas wrote on X, which she shared on Instagram: ‘Our world has been turned upside down.
‘Harshita Brella just 24 years old was found murdered in the boot of a car in East London. Her husband Pankaj Lamba is the main suspect.
‘He has now fled the country and an international manhunt is underway. We’re calling on the UK and Indian governments to act swiftly to capture him. Harshita deserves justice.
‘Her voice must be heard. Please help us seek #JusticeForHarshitaBrella. Please help to find the suspect.’
In another, Sonia posted a media report of Harshita’s killing alongside her picture and that of her husband Pankaj Lamba, who police say is a suspect in the crime. She wrote: ‘Miss u bhaan (sister) #justice #uk #harshitabrella #ministry #indiangovt.’
Another post read: ‘Please help for justice for my sister,’ followed by a crying face emoji.
Sonia and Tarun live in north India, where Harshita also lived for most of her life before marrying Pankaj in March and moving to the UK.
Police have set up a murder probe and launched an international manhunt after Harshita from Corby in Northamptonshire was discovered in the back of a vehicle in Ilford, east London.
Tragic final videos show ‘very happy’ Harshita 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
Tragic final videos showed ‘very happy’ bride Harshita Brella on her wedding day eight months before her body was found in a car boot in Ilford, east London.
The 24-year-old was found dead in the early hours of Thursday, with police launching an international manhunt for her husband, Pankaj Lamba, 23, who they believe has fled the country.
The video, taken when she tied the knot with Lamba at a Hindu ceremony in northern India, shows them performing traditional rituals seated on the floor, surrounded by family and friends.
With her head covered in a red veil, Ms Brella is seated to the left of Lamba, who is wearing a white turban and traditional white tunic with a garland of flowers around his neck.
Alongside them is an elderly male relative, believed to be Ms Brella’s father, who is performing a ritual known as kanyadaan – the giving away of the bride.
Ms Brella, from Corby, is thought to have been killed earlier this month before being stuffed inside a car boot.
It comes after neighbours revealed they heard banging and shouting coming from the couple’s Northamptonshire home days before her death.
Yesterday Harshita Brella’s weeping mother, Sudesh Kumari said: ‘I just want justice for my daughter’ as it emerged that the victim tried to run away from her husband before the murder.
Ms Brella last spoke to her family on November 10 when she told them she had made dinner for her husband and was waiting for him to come home.
Sonia 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.
Northamptonshire Police have named her husband Pankaj Lamba, 23, as a suspect
Speaking to the BBC from their home in Delhi, the family revealed Ms Brella was initially ‘very excited’ to move to the UK in April after an arranged marriage with Pankaj Lamba.
The pair had a legal wedding in August 2023 before a traditional Indian ceremony on March 22 this year and they left for the UK around April 30.
Once in the UK, Ms Brella started working in a warehouse while her new husband was a student in London.
But Ms Dabas said her sister ‘didn’t live a very happy life in London’.
‘She struggled a lot because of her husband,’ she said.
But at the end of August, she phoned her father to say she had run away from the couple’s home.
Ms Dabas recalled: ‘[Harshita] said he was hitting her and she escaped. She ran out on the streets, he chased after her.’
Police Chief Inspector Paul Cash said: ‘Our inquiries lead us to suspect that Harshita was murdered earlier this month by her husband Pankaj Lamba.
‘We suspect Lamba transported Harshita’s body from Northamptonshire to Ilford by car. We believe he has now fled the country.’
In other videos seen by MailOnline, Ms Brella, wearing an elaborate wedding lehenga – an ankle length skirt worn by brides in India – is filmed looking nervous while decked out in stunning jewellery, bright red bangles and with her head covered.
She holds her chest as she pants for breath, while a caption reads: ‘That nervousness after becoming bride.’
Another video shows her being blessed by her older sister after the ceremony. The caption reads: ‘Your sister is not less than a mother.’
The footage, accompanied by a variety of traditional songs in Hindi, captures the elaborate ceremonies the couple underwent to solemnise their marriage, spanning several days.
In one, Ms Brella dances with her young nephew, who claps playfully as he looks up at her.
Another shows her being hugged by an elderly man believed to be her father as she prepares to enter a car and leave the wedding venue after her marriage.
A caption reads: ‘Toughest moment for a daughter or papa.’
Harshita and Lamba tied the knot in March
A neighbour today revealed that a woman ‘sounded scared’ during a row just days before Harshita Brella was found dead
A spokesperson for the company that did her wedding make-up told MailOnline: ‘[Ms Brella] came to our studio for the make-up ahead of her wedding, which some brides choose to do.
‘She was like any young bride, filled with a mixture of nervousness and excitement, and you can see that in the videos that were posted. But she did say that she was looking forward to the future.
‘She paid around 30,000 Rupees (£300) and was very happy with our work but after that we had no contact with her. It’s been very shocking to hear that she’s been killed in the UK because I know she was happy about starting a new life there with her husband.’
Neighbours have revealed they heard a woman sounding ‘scared’ during a row days before the body of Harshita Brella was discovered 90 miles away from her home.
Kelly Philip, 41, who lived near Ms Brella, said she overheard an argument between a man and a woman on Wednesday.
She told the Mirror: ‘They were arguing in a different language so I couldn’t understand what was being said.
‘But it sounded angry and there were raised voices and the woman sounded scared.
‘I heard a commotion between a man and a woman and I heard banging around. I didn’t call police. I just thought it was a relationship argument.’
Harshita Brella was reported missing on November 13 by the authorities after Northamptonshire Police conducted a welfare check at her home in Corby and got no answer
Forensic officers at Harshita Brella’s home in Corby, Northamptonshire
She described feeling ‘vulnerable’ and ‘on edge’ after learning about the fate of her neighbour, adding: ‘I feel so sad about the loss of the lass. I can’t get over it – I can’t believe it.’
Ms Philip said she had also overheard two men arguing in a foreign language early on Saturday, shortly after she heard a back gate slam shut.
The murder probe comes after the alarm was raised last Wednesday when police received a call raising concerns over Ms Brella’s welfare.
Officers were sent to her home address, but received no answer at the door.
A missing person investigation was launched and, after enquiries were fast-tracked, her body was found 95.7 miles away from the shared house she lived in.
Detectives have appealed for anyone with information to get in touch as soon as possible.
Harshita’s body was found 94 miles from her home in Northamptonshire
Forensic officers at 24-year-old Harshita Brella’s Corby property today after the discovery of her body in the back of a car almost 100 miles away in Ilford, east London
Police cordoned off the scene where Harshita Brella’s body was then found in the back of a vehicle in Ilford, east London – almost 100 miles away from her Northamptonshire home
More than 60 detectives are working on the case, police said.
Yesterday, police confirmed Ms Brella was previously the victim of domestic violence and in early September was made subject of a Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO), served by Northamptonshire Police.
The 28-day DVPO banned the perpetrator of the violence from visiting Ms Brella’s workplace, while they were also prevented from molesting her, threatening violence, or intimidating, harassing or pestering her, and also told not to encourage or instruct others to contact her in any way.
No formal charges against the same person have since been recorded by the court and they were released following the court hearing but ordered to pay the full costs, according to reports.
Yesterday, forensic officers in protective wear were seen visiting Ms Brella’s home while uniformed police guarded the property.
Mr Cash said of the victim: ‘On behalf of Northamptonshire Police, I would like to express my deepest and heartfelt condolences to Harshita’s family and friends, and to everyone who knew and loved her.
Officers at murder victim Harshita Brella’s home in Corby on Sunday morning
Police were pictured at her cordoned-off property in Corby, Northamptonshire, on Sunday
As officers guarded Harshita Brella’s home in Corby, Northamptonshire, police said extra patrols would be put on in the area to help reassure residents
‘Harshita was a young woman in her early 20s, with her whole life ahead of her and everything to live for, and it is absolutely tragic that her life has been cut short in this way.’
One resident in Ilford told MailOnline: ‘They seemed to be focusing on a car. It’s horrific. It’s quite an unsafe area.
‘That poor woman must have gone through hell. It’s deeply shocking. She must have gone through so much pain.’
They continued: ‘Officers swarmed all over the street and were here for hours. It looked incredibly serious.
‘There was screaming on the street earlier in the week. It’s rough around here so I didn’t bat an eyelid. There’s always drug dealing and attacks and all sorts.’
A forensic postmortem examination, which took place at Leicester Royal Infirmary on Friday, confirmed that Harshita had been murdered.
A neighbour at Harshita’s home in Corby told the Northampton Chronicle that the house the young woman lived in had been used as an HMO (house in multiple occupation), and at one point last year had 12 people living in it.
The number of occupants has since reduced and the neighbour said she believed that the house had Bulgarian, Moldovan and Portuguese residents.
Forensic officers visiting Harshita Brella’s Corby home on Sunday morning
Brisbane Road in Ilford, east London. A forensic postmortem examination, which took place at Leicester Royal Infirmary on Friday, confirmed that Harshita had been murdered
A murder investigation is ongoing after the 24-year-old’s body was found in a car boot near the entrance of Valentines Park in Ilford, East London
Map showing the location that Harshita’s body was discovered on Brisbane Road
Map showing the location of Harshita Brella’s home on Skegness Walk in Corby
The property had been largely peaceful since some noise complaints were resolved last year, the neighbour added.
But she said that earlier this week she heard a commotion, adding: ‘The way that gate slammed I knew something had happened. Someone took off quickly.
‘I had heard banging coming from the house and then they obviously just legged it. The police have been here about four days.’
Northamptonshire Police have also referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct due to previous contact they had with the victim.
The force said officers were satisfied there was no wider risk to the public as a result of this incident, but said extra patrols will be taking place in Corby in the coming days ‘for reassurance purposes’.
Anyone with any concerns is welcome to approach one of these officers who will be happy to help, Northamptonshire Police added.