GLOBAL MANHUNT
Neighbours heard ‘banging, shouting & furniture thrown’ before woman’s body found in car boot sparking hunt for husband
Harshita had been under the protection of a court order designed for victims of domestic abuse
NEIGHBOURS heard "banging, shouting and furniture being thrown" before a woman's body was found in a car boot - sparking a global manhunt for her husband.
The body of Harshita Brella, 24, was found in Ilford, East London in the early hours of Thursday morning.
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Her husband Pankaj Lamba is believed to have fled the country after murdering her.
Cops suspect Lamba killed Harshita in their home county of Northamptonshire before driving her body to London by car.
Harshita had been under the protection of a court order designed for victims of domestic abuse.
A neighbour said they had heard "a lot of shouting and banging around" at the HMO where Harshita lived in Corby.
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They told : "We heard a male or female arguing and raised voices - furniture being thrown.
"She seems like a lovely young woman. It's a shame to lose a lovely girl."
Neighbour Kelly Philp said she also heard two rows including one on Wednesday involving a woman who "sounded scared".
She told the Mirror: "It sounded angry and there were raised voices and the woman sounded scared.
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"I heard a commotion between a man and a woman and I heard banging around.
"I feel so sad about the loss of the lass. I can’t get over it. I can’t believe it."
Cops continued to guard outside Harshita's home today, nearly 100 miles from where her body was found.
More than 60 detectives have joined the hunt for Lamba - probing "numerous lines of inquiry" and making house-to-house searches.
Harshita was the subject of a domestic violence prevention order for 28 days from September 3.
The order - in accordance with section 27 of the Crime and Security Act 2010 - states the defendant was banned from contacting Harshita or visiting her workplace.
He was prevented from molesting her, from threatening violence, or intimidating, harassing or pestering her.
He was also told not to encourage or instruct others to contact her in any way.
The order was served by Northamptonshire Police and implemented by magistrates.
No formal charges against the same man have since been recorded by the court, reports Northamptonshire Telegraph.
How you can get help
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid provides a - available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
A forensic postmortem at Leicester Royal Infirmary on November 15, confirmed that Harshita had been murdered.
A murder probe was launched and police said they think Harshita may have been the victim of a "targeted incident".
An Ilford resident told The Sun today: "We're used to it because this kind of stuff happens all the time around here.
"There have been a few murders in this area and there are crimes happening constantly. I didn't hear anything.
"I just saw all the police tape and the tent when I went out in the morning. I saw some broken glass on the ground."
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Anyone who has any information that could help detectives asked to call police on 101 quoting incident number 24000678713.
Northamptonshire Police has referred itself to the IOPC watchdog due to previous contact between the force and the victim.
Chief Inspector Paul Cash's statement in full
FIRSTLY, on behalf of Northamptonshire Police, I would like to express my deepest and heartfelt condolences to Harshita’s family and friends, and to everyone who knew and loved her.
Harshita was a young woman in her early 20s, with her whole life ahead of her and everything to live for.
It is absolutely tragic that her life has been cut short in this way.
A murder investigation was launched after the body of a woman, who we have now named as Harshita, was found in a car in east London.
This finding came about after we received a call on Wednesday, November 13, regarding concerns for Harshita’s welfare.
Officers were deployed to her home address in Skegness Walk, Corby.
After getting no answer, a missing person investigation was launched.
Fast-track enquiries were made which sadly led to the discovery of a woman’s body inside the boot of a vehicle in Brisbane Road in the Ilford area of London, in the early hours of Thursday, November 14.
A forensic postmortem examination, which took place at Leicester Royal Infirmary on Friday, November 15, established that Harshita had been murdered.
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.
While we are satisfied there is no wider risk to the public, we understand how shocking and distressing such an incident can be for the local community.
Our Neighbourhood officers will continue to provide additional patrols in Corby in the coming days for reassurance.
Anyone with any concerns is welcome to approach one of these officers who will be happy to help.
Anyone who has any information that could help detectives bring Harshita’s killer to justice, can contact the incident room by calling 101, quoting incident number Operation Westcott.
Alternatively information can be submitted via our online public portal at www.mipp.police.uk or by call Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555111.
Thank you for your support and assistance in helping us bring Harshita’s killer to justice, and we will provide further updates when we can.
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