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08 Sept 2025
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08 Sept 2025
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The parents of Harshita Brella have said they “want justice” for their daughter who was murdered and found in the boot of a car.
An international manhunt is under way for the husband of Ms Brella, of Corby, after Northamptonshire Police named Pankaj Lamba as the prime suspect in the murder of the 24-year-old.
Speaking from India, Ms Brella’s mother, Sudesh Kumari, told BBC News: “I just want justice for my daughter.”
Her father, Satbir Brella, said: “I want my son-in-law to be brought to justice and I want my daughter’s body brought home.”
A murder inquiry was launched after Ms Brella’s body was found inside the boot of a vehicle on Brisbane Road in Ilford, east London, close to an entrance to Valentines Park in the early hours of Thursday.
Ms Brella’s sister, Sonia Dabas, said her sibling was “very excited” to move to the UK in April following an arranged marriage with Lamba but “didn’t live a very happy life” after settling in the country.
She added that her sister had worked in a warehouse and Lamba was a student in London.
The family said they last spoke to Ms Brella by phone on November 10 and that her phone was off for the next two days, BBC News reported.
Ms Dabas said the family “thought something was wrong” by November 13 and asked people to file a complaint.
A neighbour has said she heard two blistering rows, one involving a woman who “sounded scared”, in the days before Ms Brella’s body was discovered.
Northamptonshire Police Chief Inspector Paul Cash told a press conference in Kettering: “Inquiries lead us to suspect that Harshita was murdered in Northamptonshire 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.
Earlier, a police spokesman confirmed Ms Brella had previously been the victim of domestic violence and in early September was made subject of a Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO) at Northampton Magistrates’ Court.
Northamptonshire Police have made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) because of previous contact between the force and Ms Brella.
Anyone who may have information is asked to call police on 101 quoting Operation Westcott or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
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