The sister of a young woman whose fugitive husband is still on the run for her murder – and is believed left her body dumped in the boot of a car –has accused the police of failing the grieving family. Harshita Brella, 24, was strangled at her home in Northamptonshire before being left in the boot of a Vauxhall Corsa in Ilford, East London, on November 14. She had previously sought help from police saying she was being abused by her husband Pankaj Lamba. The Mirror can now reveal that Lamba, 23, is understood to have flown to his native India from Heathrow airport three days before Harshita's body was discovered.
Her sister Sonia Dabas said the family have been kept in the dark by the Northamptonshire police and have filed a lawsuit at the High Court in Delhi calling on the Indian government to step in. Speaking from her home in the Indian capital, she said: "The UK police are not telling us anything and they aren't sharing documents with the Indian Police who tell us they cannot take action without them. The case is stuck. No one is doing their job properly, this is the main problem. We believe he [Lamba] is in India." The legal application accuses the Indian authorities of "not following up the matter diligently" to ensure that the investigation in the UK is "expedited and taken to its logical conclusion". It adds that "no cogent action" has been taken to find Lamba despite evidence that he is hiding with his extended family in India.
The document says the suspect flew from Heathrow to Mumbai on November 11 and on to Delhi the next day. Sources said he is suspected of being assisted by individuals in east London where he allegedly dumped Harishita's body. UK lawyer Amrit Maan, OBE, has set up a GoFundMe page to help to raise money so the family can build a memorial for Harishita and visit the UK. Mr Maan said: "The family has no idea how the investigation has progressed and they are now forced to take legal action to get answers. It's been over two months since Harshita's body was found in London but the police say they can't update the family about the work they are doing. Delhi Police are saying they have had nothing from the UK authorities. This is a family who are hundreds of miles away who are devastated and have no answers.
"They feel like they have been abandoned. They have set up a GoFundMe account to try to raise money for a memorial and to allow them to travel to the UK to speak to supporters and see the places where Harshita lived and was found." Detectives believe Harshita was strangled in Corby, Northamptonshire, on the evening of November 10 before her body was driven to Ilford in the boot of a car the following day.
In an emotional interview, her mother Sudesh Kumari has previously said she had spoken to her daughter just weeks before her murder. She said: “[Lamba] was making her life miserable. She said I will not go back to him. He will kill me.” Sudesh added that Harshita was “very simple, very innocent. She did not fight with people.”. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating Northamptonshire Police’s contact with Harshita. The watchdog previously said she had made a report of domestic abuse to police in August, which saw Lamba arrested on September 3, and then released on conditional bail with a domestic violence protection order put in place.
Senior Investigating Officer, Det Chief Insp Johnny Campbell, of Northamptonshire Police said: “Our investigation into Harshita’s death continues at pace and our detectives 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 discuss at this time. 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.
“I want to be clear that we are absolutely committed to securing justice for Harshita and her family, and we continue to work at pace to progress the investigation. When we are able to give more information about our investigation and the search for Harshita’s killer, we will of course do so. “Our Family Liaison Officers are in regular contact with Harshita’s family, and we continue to offer our support to them at this extremely difficult time.”.
