London Murder: Police Looking for Indian-Origin Husband of Woman Found Dead in Car Boot

London: UK police investigating murder of 24-year-old Harshita Brella, whose body was recovered from a car boot in east London, have launched a manhunt for her Indian-origin husband who y suspect fled country after killing his wife earlier this month.

In an updated statement from Northamptonshire Police on Sunday, Chief Inspector Paul Cash said more than 60 detectives were working on case as force released an image of Pankaj Lamba, accused husband, in an appeal for information.

"Our inquiries le us to suspect that Harshita was murdered in Northamptonshire earlier this month by her husband Pankaj Lamba," Cash said.

"We suspect Lamba transported Harshita's body from Northamptonshire to Ilford by car. We believe he has now fled country… More than 60 detectives are working on case and are continuing to follow numerous lines of inquiry, including house to house, property searches, CCTV (cameras) and ANPR (automatic number plate recognition). We are, of course, continuing to appeal for any information that will help us piece toger exactly what happened as we work to get justice for Harshita," he ded.

Earlier, Northamptonshire Police h named woman found de in boot of a car in London as Harshita Brella as y launched a murder inquiry over weekend.

force said it h received a call on Wednesday regarding concerns for Brella's welfare and officers were deployed to her home dress at Skegness Walk in Corby, Northamptonshire.

After getting no answer, police launched a missing person investigation and fast-track enquiries were me that led to discovery of victim's body inside boot of a vehicle on Brisbane Ro in Ilford area of east London in early hours of Thursday. A post-mortem was conducted at Leicester Royal Infirmary on Friday.

"First of all, I want to express my heartfelt condolences to everyone who loved Harshita Brella," said Detective Chief Inspector Johnny Campbell, senior investigating officer from East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit (EMSOU).

"She was a young woman in her early 20s with her whole life ahe of her and it is absolutely tragic that her life has been cut short in this way. Detectives from EMSOU and Northamptonshire Police are working around clock to establish circumstances behind her death, including exact location and timeframe in which it took place," he said.

Investigators believe Brella was killed in a "targeted incident" as y appealed to anyone who may have information about incident to come forward.

"Although we believe Harshita was attacked by someone known to her, we are keeping an open mind, and would appeal to anyone who knew her to contact us with any relevant information y may have. If you saw anything suspicious in past week or have any information, no matter how small, please contact us. We would always rar receive well-meaning information that turns out to be nothing as opposed to not receiving it all," he said.

police said officers were satisfied re was no wider risk to public as a result of this incident.

However, extra patrols will be taking place in Corby in coming days for reassurance purposes. As is mandatory, Northamptonshire Police has also me a referral to Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to previous contact between police force and victim.

"Shortly after midnight on morning of Thursday, November 14, Met was contacted by officers from Northamptonshire Police, raising concerns for welfare of a woman who was believed to be in a car in east London area," a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.

" car was located parked in Brisbane Ro, Ilford, and body of a 24-year-old woman was found inside vehicle," spokesperson said.

police investigators are now working to establish connection between Brella going missing from her home in Corby, around 145 kilometres north of London, and being found de in a car in UK capital days later. 

(Except for heline, this story has not been edited by Republic and is published from a syndicated feed.)