A manhunt is underway for the husband of Harshita Brella who was discovered murdered and stuffed into the boot of a car in London.
Northamptonshire Police say Pankaj Lamba is wanted in connection with the 24-year-old’s death and it’s believed he has fled the country.
Chief Inspector Paul Cash told a press conference in Kettering on Sunday afternoon: “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.”
Harshita Brella was found dead after disappearing on Wednesday. Her body was found crammed into a car boot 100 miles from her home on Thursday.
Police were scrambled to Harshita’s home address in Walk, Corby, after someone raising concerns for Harshita’s welfare. Officers attended but they reportedly received no answer at the door.
A postmortem at Leicester Royal Infirmary confirmed on Friday that Harshita had been murdered.
The Chief Inspector said in a statement that over 60 detectives are working on the casee. A statement read: “Officers and detectives from the East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit and Northamptonshire Police, working with colleagues from the Metropolitan Police, have been working around the clock to establish the circumstances behind Harshita’s death, including the exact location and timeframe in which it took place.
“We have followed a number of lines of investigation and carried out numerous inquiries and we are now able to provide a further update.
“Our 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. We are releasing an image of Pankaj Lamba with this statement.
“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. We are of course continuing to appeal for any information that will help us piece together exactly what happened as we work to get justice for Harshita.
“I urge anyone listening to or reading this statement, that if you saw anything suspicious in the past week or have any information, no matter how small, please contact us. We would always rather receive well-meaning information that turns out to be nothing as opposed to not receiving it all.”
Police say there is no wide risk to the public but officers will continue to provide additional patrols in Corby in the coming days for reassurance.
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our daily newsletter here.