New CCTV released in hunt for Harshita Brella’s fugitive husband

New CCTV has been released showing a fugitive husband suspected of murdering his wife walking the streets of east London moments after allegedly dumping her body in the boot of a car.

Harshita Brella, 24, was discovered inside the vehicle that had been left in Brisbane Road, Ilford, in the early hours of Thursday.

Her husband Pankaj Lamba, 23, is now the subject of an international manhunt.

Detectives believe he murdered Harshita in Corby, Northamptonshire, on Sunday before driving nearly 100 miles down to the capital to dump her body.

A post-mortem examination carried out at Leicester Royal Infirmary on Friday gave the preliminary cause of death as strangulation.

An inquest into her death is expected to be opened and adjourned later today.

Ms Brella’s parents, speaking from India, told BBC News they ‘want justice’ after their daughter’s death.

Sonia Dabas, Ms Brella’s sister, said the family ‘thought something was wrong’ by November 13 after her phone was off for two days, and asked people to file a complaint.

She called her sister’s death ‘the murder of thousands of dreams’, telling Sky News it’s left her feeling like ‘something is missing from her body’.

‘I don’t understand how it will ever feel like normal life. [I] can’t ever forget her’, she said.

Detectives have released the new images of Lamba in east London after he is thought to have abandoned Harshita’s body.

They hope it will prompt anyone who may have interacted with the suspected killer between Sunday morning and Monday November 11 evening to contact police.

Detective Chief Inspector Johnny Campbell from the East Midlands Special Operations major crime unit, said: ‘We are working closely with policing colleagues and our partners in the CPS, and in order to secure justice for Harshita, there are certain aspects of this investigation we are unable to comment on.

‘Our inquiries have established that Pankaj Lamba drove a Silver Vauxhall Corsa from Corby to Ilford sometime on the morning of Monday November 11.

‘We suspect Harshita’s body had been placed in the boot of the vehicle by Lamba before leaving Corby.

‘Lamba then abandoned the vehicle in Brisbane Road, Ilford and made his getaway.

‘Any information, no matter how small, may be relevant to the investigation and help us get justice for Harshita.’

A neighbour has said she heard two blistering rows, involving one where a woman ‘sounded scared’, days before Ms Brella’s body was found.

A police spokesman confirmed Ms Brella had previously been the victim of domestic violence and was made subject of a Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO) at Northampton Magistrates’ Court in September.

Northamptonshire Police have made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) because of previous contact with Ms Brella.

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