Murdered woman's sister says she believes prime suspect is in India
Harshita Brella's sister says her sisters husband bullied and badgered his way back into her life after his domestic abuse arrest.
Last updated 9th Dec 2024
The husband of a woman found dead in a car boot worked his way back into her life after being arrested for domestic abuse, her sister has said.
Harshita Brella, 24, was found in the boot of a silver Vauxhall Corsa in Brisbane Road, Ilford, east London, on November 14, and her husband Pankaj Lamba, 23, is the prime suspect.
With police still trying to trace Lamba, Ms Brella's sister Sonia Dabas told the Sunday Times she is "sure" he is in India, which is a "very safe place for him".
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 Lamba earlier this year.
She said Lamba beat her 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.
"When she told us this we urged her to resist his controlling behaviour.
"I said, 'What is this, house arrest? It's not acceptable. If something were to happen to you, we wouldn't even know.'"
Ms Brella kept silent about the alleged abuse, but eventually told her family in a telephone call to Ms Dabas on August 28 and she 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."
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.
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 Lamba's 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 Lamba slowly began pushing his way back into Ms Brella's life.
Police believe she was strangled in Corby on the evening of November 10 before her body was driven to Ilford in the boot of a car the next day.
The IOPC said it will investigate Northamptonshire Police's contact with Ms Brella, while an international manhunt is under way for 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."