Lead detective in Corby murder victim says Harshita Brella is 'number one priority' as they do 'everything' to bring killer to justice

Her husband Pankaj Lamba, 23, has been named by Northamptonshire Police as the prime suspect in her murder.

It’s been one month since Harshita’s body was found dumped in a car boot in Ilford – miles away from her Corby home – and half the globe away from her family in Delhi, India. Harshita had been strangled.

In an emotional interview with BBC Newsnight, her mother Sudesh Kumari said she spoke to her daughter just weeks before her death.

Ms Kumari said: “(Lamba) was making her life miserable. She said ‘I will not go back to him. He will kill me’.”

Harishita was described by her mum as “very simple, very innocent”, adding “she did not fight with people.”

Her family believe that Lamba is in India, but told Newsnight that police in Delhi claim they have not had a request from Northamptonshire Police to arrest him.

Harshita’s father Satbir Brella broke down crying as he spoke to the BBC.

He said: “The police in Delhi are not listening to us. They say the UK police have not made a request, so how can we do anything? How can we arrest him?”

Mr Brella said his daughter had told him before that Lamba was hurting her.

He said: “She told me about it earlier, but it was on the morning of August 29 when she called me crying and said ‘he beat me really badly’.”

Harshita had made a report of domestic abuse to police in August and Lamba had been arrested on September 3, but was released on conditional bail.

A Domestic Violence Protection Order was authorised at Northampton Magistrates Court on September 5 which remained in place for 28 days whilst the investigations continued against Lamba.

Harshita was placed in a refuge having been classed as being at 'high risk'.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Johnny Campbell, said: “The investigation into Harshita’s death continues at pace and we are following numerous lines of enquiry in order to bring her killer to justice.

“Maintaining the integrity of our investigation and securing justice for Harshita is our number one priority and as a result of that, there are certain aspects of this case that we are unable to comment on at the moment. We hope to be able to release more information in the future but for now, doing everything we can to bring Harshita’s killer to justice has to come before anything else.

“We remain absolutely committed to securing justice for Harshita Brella and her family, and my team of detectives continue to work closely with policing colleagues and the CPS to progress the investigation. When we are able to give more information to the general public about our investigation and the search for Harshita’s killer, we will of course do so.

“Family Liaison Officers and myself as the Senior Investigating Officer are in regular contact with Harshita’s family, and we continue to offer our support to them at this extremely difficult time and update them regularly on our progress.”

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it will investigate Northamptonshire Police’s contact with Ms Brella.

Police believe Harshita was strangled in Corby on the evening of November 10 with the couple last seen on CCTV near the Boating Lake.

DCI Campbell added: “We are continuing to appeal for anyone with information to come forward. Anyone who was in Corby on the night of Sunday, November 10, in particular in the area of Cottingham Road and the Boating Lake, or around Sturton Walk or Skegness Walk, who may have dashcam footage or information that may assist our inquiries, and who we haven’t already spoken to, is asked to contact police.

“Anyone with information can contact the incident room by calling 101, quoting Operation Westcott. Alternatively, information can be submitted via our online public portal at www.mipp.police.uk, where dashcam or other camera footage can also be uploaded. People can also call Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555111.”

Delhi Police has been contacted for a comment.