Harshita Brella was strangulated, then dumped…: Postmorten report on how Indian woman was killed by husband in London

A post-mortem examination has confirmed that Harshita Brella, a 24-year-old woman from Corby, Northamptonshire, died from strangulation, a BBC report stated.

Police suspect her husband, 23-year-old Pankaj Lamba, of murdering her on the evening of November 10. Authorities believe he transported her body to Ilford, east London, and abandoned it in the boot of a car, where it was discovered four days later.

Lamba, the prime suspect, is believed to have fled the country, and his current whereabouts remain unknown.

“Our inquiries lead us to suspect that Harshita was murdered in Northamptonshire earlier this month by her husband Pankaj Lamba,” said Northampton Police.

“We suspect Lamba transported Harshita’s body from Northamptonshire to Ilford (east London) by car. We believe he has now fled the country… More than 60 detectives are working on the case and are continuing to follow numerous lines of inquiry, including house-to-house, property searches, CCTV and ANPR (automatic number plate recognition),” the statement added.

Brella was born in Delhi and moved to the United Kingdom in April this year after marrying Pankaj Lamba in August last year. A few days earlier, she had disappeared from her home.

Sonia Dabas, Brella’s sister, said the family “thought something was wrong” by 13 November after her phone was off for two days.

Meanwhile, their father said, “”I want my son-in-law to be brought to justice and I want my daughter’s body brought home.””

A neighbour said she heard two blistering rows, involving one in which a woman “sounded scared”, days before Ms Brella’s body was found.

Harshita Brella was last in contact with her family on the evening of November 10, when she mentioned she was preparing dinner and waiting for her husband to return home. Concerns arose when her phone stayed off for two days, leading her family to report her missing to Northamptonshire Police on November 13. Officers who visited her residence on Skegness Walk found no sign of her, triggering a formal investigation.