UK Deputy PM describes Harshita Brella’s murder as ‘horrifying, barbaric’

The circumstances surrounding the murder of Harshita Brella, whose body was discovered in the boot of a car in east London, were described as “horrifying” and “barbaric” in the UK Parliament in London as an inquest opened into the 24-year-old Indian-origin victim’s death.

It has since emerged that Brella was the subject of a 28-day domestic violence order against husband Pankaj Lamba – the prime suspect in the murder, which had not been renewed at the time of her killing earlier this month at her home in Corby, Northamptonshire.

The local MP of the constituency, Lee Barron, raised the issue in the House of Commons on Wednesday and asked Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner if in certain circumstances domestic violence protection orders (DVPOs) should last longer than 28 days. DVPOs are court orders that ban a domestic violence perpetrator from returning to their home or having contact with the victim.

“This tragic murder left a community shocked and scared, and it is being investigated by the police. Harshita was protected by a domestic violence protection order that lasted 28 days. It was not renewed,” said Barron.

In her response, Rayner said the government is committed to halving violence against women and girls.

“My thoughts are with Harshita’s family in this horrifying set of circumstances, where Harshita should have been protected and felt protected... We continue to do our work, hopefully across the House, to make sure that we can end the circumstances Harshita faced and we can stop this kind of barbaric action,” she said.

Earlier, Indian-origin Labour MP Nadia Whittome took to social media to express her concerns over the domestic violence suffered by the victim.

“The media’s sensationalist focus on where Harshita Brella’s body was found dehumanises her and diverts attention from the suspect search. We must instead ask how authorities failed someone recently under a domestic violence protection order, and how we end endemic male violence,” she said.

Meanwhile, an inquest into Harshita Brella’s killing was opened on Wednesday in Northampton and adjourned until May 21, 2025, while the murder investigation remains ongoing with an international manhunt for 23-year-old Pankaj Lamba. The provisional cause of Harshita’s death was noted as “manual strangulation pending toxicology and histology” at the inquest hearing.

The police have released a series of CCTV images of Lamba, suspected of murdering his wife on November 10 at her home in Corby before driving her body to London some 145km away and fleeing the country after abandoning the car.

“Our inquiries have established that Pankaj Lamba drove a Silver Vauxhall Corsa from Corby to Ilford sometime on the morning of Monday, November 11. We suspect Harshita’s body had been placed in the boot of the vehicle by Lamba before leaving Corby. Lamba then abandoned the vehicle in Brisbane Road, Ilford and made his getaway,” said Detective Chief Inspector Johnny Campbell, Senior Investigating Officer from the East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit (EMSOU).

According to Harshita’s Delhi-based family, she had married Lamba after an arranged match last year and moved to the UK in April. While she worked in a warehouse, Lamba was a student in London. The family had last spoken to Harshita over the phone on November 10 before her phone was then switched off for the next two days and by November 13 they were worried for her safety and asked people they knew to file a complaint.

Northamptonshire Police was contacted regarding concerns for Harshita’s welfare, which then led to the discovery of her body and the launch of a murder investigation.

“We suspect Lamba transported Harshita’s body from Northamptonshire to Ilford (east London) by car. We believe he has now fled the country... More than 60 detectives are working on the case and are continuing to follow numerous lines of inquiry, including house to house, property searches, CCTV and ANPR (automatic number plate recognition),” said Chief Inspector Paul Cash of Northamptonshire Police.

Her family, father Satbir Brella, mother Sudesh Kumari and sister Sonia Dabas, have called for the killer to be brought to justice and are keen for Harshita’s body to be released to them for last rites.