A 24-Year-Old Woman Was Found Dead in the Trunk of a Car. Now Police Believe Her Husband Fled the Country

Authorities in England are looking for a man whom they believe fled the country after allegedly murdering his 24-year-old wife and leaving her body in the trunk of a car.

In the “early hours” of Thursday, Nov. 14, Northamptonshire Police discovered the body of Harshita Brella in the trunk of a car in the Ilford area of London, the department said in a Facebook news release this weekend. The discovery came a day after Northamptonshire Police received a call about the woman’s welfare.

Authorities initially launched a missing person investigation after arriving at Brella’s home in Corby and not hearing from her. After Brella’s body was found, an autopsy conducted at the Leicester Royal Infirmary established that she had been “murdered,” police said.

Northamptonshire Police said they suspect Brella’s husband Pankaj Lamba of killing her earlier in the month in Northamptonshire, before transporting her body to Ilford by car, according to an update on Sunday, Nov. 17.

Police also believe that Lamba, whom they have shared a photo of on social media, has fled the country.

Now, more than 60 detectives are working on the case — going house to house, using CCTV footage and conducting property searches — in an effort to “piece together exactly what happened.”

“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,” read a police statement shared on Facebook. “We would always rather receive well-meaning information that turns out to be nothing as opposed to not receiving it all.”

Per Northamptonshire Police, local neighborhood officers will continue to patrol the area in Corby in the coming days for reassurance, as “anyone with any concerns is welcome to approach one of these officers who will be happy to help.”

“I want to express my heartfelt condolences to everyone who loved Harshita Brella,” Detective Chief Inspector Johnny Campbell from the East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit (EMSOU) said in a statement as police announced the suspect. “She was a young woman in her early 20s with her whole life ahead 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 the clock to establish the circumstances behind her death, including the exact location and timeframe in which it took place,” the statement added.

Officials from the Metropolitan Police are also assisting in the investigation.

In a video shared on Facebook on Nov. 17, Northamptonshire Police Chief Inspector Paul Cash described the circumstances surrounding Brella’s murder as “absolutely tragic.”

Those with information are encouraged to contact police via phone, through an online public portal at www.mipp.police.uk or by calling Crimestoppers.