Husband of Harshita Brella, from Corby, ‘got back in her life’

The husband of Harshita Brella, whose body was discovered in the boot of a car, worked his way back into her life after being arrested for domestic abuse, her sister has said.

Police believe the 24-year-old was strangled in Corby on the evening of November 10 before her body was driven to Ilford, east London, where she was found in the boot of a silver Vauxhall Corsa on November 14.

Her husband, Pankaj Lamba, 23, has been named as the prime suspect in the police’s murder investigation.

Ms Brella’s sister, Sonia Dabas, told The Sunday Times how Mr Lamba had been arrested in September and a domestic violence protection order put in place, but he had convinced his wife to withdraw her case.

She said Ms Brella, who was from Delhi, got a job in a packing factory near Corby, Northamptonshire, after entering into an arranged marriage with Mr Lamba earlier this year.

She said Mr Lamba beat her sister and would deny her access to money.

Ms Dabas said: “The controlling was really bad towards the end. He even told her not to work anymore.”

Ms Brella kept silent about the alleged abuse, but eventually told her family in a telephone call to Ms Dabas on August 28 and decided to go to the police, the Sunday Times reported.

Her sister told the publication: “The run-up to it was beatings by Pankaj over nothing.

“She went to the police because he had beaten her.”

Mr Lamba was arrested by Northamptonshire Police officers on September 3, but was released on conditional bail and a domestic violence protection order was put in place, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.

Mr Lamba was not supposed to call her but one day, while Ms Brella was in a refuge, she received a phone call from India from one of his relatives, who then added him to the phone call, according to her family.

Ms Dabas said: “They both began badgering her and bullying her to withdraw the case against Pankaj.

“So she went to the police to withdraw it and found a rented room to stay [in].”

The Sunday Times reported Mr Lamba slowly began pushing his way back into Ms Brella’s life.

The IOPC said it will investigate Northamptonshire Police’s contact with Ms Brella, while an international manhunt is under way for Mr Lamba.

Ms Dabas added: “I am sure Pankaj is in India but we can’t do anything to get the police on to him.

“India is a very safe place for him. It’s easy to go missing in India.”