What we know about Harshita Brella murder as international manhunt continues
Police have named Pankaj Lamba as the prime suspect in the 24-year-old's murder and believe he has fled abroad after her body was found in a car boot.
The husband of Harshita Brella was arrested then released on bail after she made a report of domestic abuse weeks before she died, a police watchdog has revealed.
The 24-year-old's body was found in a car boot in east London four days after she was believed to have been strangled to death in Corby, Northamptonshire.
Police have named her husband, Pankaj Samba, 23, as the prime suspect in their investigation and believe he has fled the country.
On Tuesday, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said Brella made a report of domestic abuse in August and that Lamba was arrested on 3 September. He was released on conditional bail and a domestic violence protection order was put in place.
The IOPC said it will investigate Northamptonshire Police's contact with Brella, whose body was discovered in the boot of a silver Vauxhall Corsa in Brisbane Road, Ilford, east London, on 14 November.
IOPC regional director Derrick Campbell said: “We understand Mr Lamba was arrested by Northamptonshire Police on 3 September and was released with bail conditions and a domestic violence protection notice imposed on him.
“Our investigation will consider the actions and decisions taken by Northamptonshire Police in relation to the report made by Ms Brella and their subsequent investigation."
What we know
Northamptonshire Police were contacted on 13 November by a member of the public concerned for Brella's welfare. Officers went to her home in Skegness Walk, Corby, but there was no answer.
A missing persons investigation was launched and her body was found in a silver Vauxhall Corsa in Brisbane Road, Ilford, east London, on 14 November.
Police say they believe Brella, 24, was murdered on the evening of 10 November by her husband. They think he then put Brella's body in the boot of the vehicle before driving from Corby to Ilford sometime the following morning.
It is alleged he then abandoned the car and "made his getaway”.
Senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Johnny Campbell from the East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit, said officers are following "numerous lines of inquiry".
A forensic post-mortem examination carried out at Leicester Royal Infirmary on 15 November gave the preliminary cause of death as strangulation.
Police have released numerous sets of images of Lamba, 23, as he travelled to London and CCTV pictures of him walking around the streets near where he abandoned the car.
On 22 November, police turned their attention to piecing together the final moments of Brella's life, saying the pair were seen around Corby Boating Lake on 10 November.
Police have urged anyone with any information that may assist inquiries – “no matter how small” – to contact them. More than 60 detectives are now working on the case.
An inquest into Brella's death was opened by senior coroner Anne Pember at Northampton Coroner’s Court and adjourned until 21 May next year.
What we don't know
Northamptonshire Police have also made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) because of its previous contact with Brella.
It is not known which country Lamba has fled to, and his current whereabouts remain unknown.
Police have also confirmed Brella had previously been the victim of domestic violence, and in early September was made the subject of a domestic violence protection order (DVPO) at Northampton Magistrates’ Court.
The Northamptonshire Telegraph reported that the DVPO banned the perpetrator of the violence from visiting Brella’s workplace.
'We will never forget you'
Brella's family has said they will "never forget you till our last breath" in tribute to their daughter.
In a tribute released through Northamptonshire Police on Friday 22 November, her family said: “Harshita, you left this world but you are still with us in our hearts and will always be there.
"We will never forget you till our last breath. Always stay with us. We miss you in every very moment of our life."
Previously, Brella’s sister Sonia Dabas described her as “very innocent” and “childlike”.
She told Sky News: “If it’s two steps or two hours away, [we were] always together. We wore similar clothes, even after marriage, even if she was shopping we would show each other on video calls, even if it was buying a T-shirt. Even though we were far, we were so close.”
Dabas said her sibling was “very excited” to move to the UK in April after an arranged marriage with Lamba, but said she “didn’t live a very happy life”. She said Brella had been working in a warehouse while Lamba was a student in London.
Her father, Satbir Brella, told the BBC on 18 November: “I want my son-in-law to be brought to justice and I want my daughter’s body brought home.”
Neighbour Kelly Philp told the Daily Mirror said she heard a row between a man and a woman in the days before Brella's body was found.
She said: “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 the police. I just thought it was a relationship argument.”
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