MAJOR MANHUNT
Cops launch international manhunt for husband of woman, 24, who was found dead in car boot after he ‘fled country’
Harshita was found dead on Thursday
COPS have launched an international manhunt for the husband of a woman found dead in the boot of a car.
Pankaj Lamba is thought to have fled the country following the death of his wife Harshita Brella.
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The 24-year-old was found in Ilford, East London, in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Cops continued to guard outside the victim's home today, nearly 100 miles away in Corby, Northamptonshire.
In a press briefing this evening, Chief Inspector Paul Cash said: "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.
READ MORE ON THE CASE
"We believe he has now fled the country."
The force has released the last known CCTV of Lamba as well as another photo.
Ch Supt Cash went on to say more than 60 officers are involved in the case and are continuing to follow "numerous lines of inquiry" including house-to-house checks.
He added: "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.
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"We would always rather receive well-meaning information that turns out to be nothing as opposed to not receiving it all."
It comes as the force confirmed to The Sun 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.
DISCOVERY
Harshita's body was found on Brisbane Road, Ilford, after Northamptonshire Police received a call on November 13 with concerns for her welfare.
Officers were deployed to her home address on Sturton Walk, Corby, and after getting no answer launched a missing person investigation.
A forensic postmortem examination, which took place 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".
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A neighbour described hearing an argument in Harshita's house the day before her body was found.
Kelly Philp, 41, whose bedroom shares a wall with a room in the property, said a female sounded scared.
The single mum told : "I heard a commotion between a man and a woman and I heard banging around.
"They were arguing in a different language so I couldn't understand what was being said.
"But it sounded angry and there were raised voices and the woman sounded scared."
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."
They added: "I saw some broken glass on the ground."
An Ilford resident told MailOnline: "Officers swarmed all over the street and were here for hours. It looked incredibly serious.
"They seemed to be focusing on a car. It's horrific. It's quite an unsafe area. That poor woman must have gone through hell."
They added: "There was screaming on the street earlier in the week. It's rough around here so I didn't bat an eye lid.
"There's always drug dealing and attacks and all sorts."
'ABSOLUTELY TRAGIC'
Senior Investigating Officer, DOI Johnny Campbell from the East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit (EMSOU), said on Saturday evening: "First of all, I want to express my heartfelt condolences to everyone who loved Harshita Brella.
"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."
He continued: "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 they may have.
"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."
Northamptonshire Police said officers are satisfied there is no wider risk to the public.
The force added extra patrols will be taking place in Corby in the coming days.
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Anyone who has any information that could help detectives bring Harshita's killer to justice is asked to call police on 101 quoting incident number 24000678713.
Northamptonshire Police has also made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to previous contact between the Force and the victim.
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