Harshita Brella was found dead in the boot of a car in east London(Image: PA)

Harshita Brella 'struggled a lot' and 'didn't live a happy life' before being found dead in car boot

Harshita Brella's sister said she was 'very excited' to move from India to the UK after an arranged marriage with Pankaj Lamba - but after her move, she 'struggled a lot'

by · The Mirror

Harshita Brella "struggled a lot" and "didn't live a happy life" before she was found dead in a car boot, her sister has said.

The 24-year-old woman's body was found inside the boot of a vehicle on Brisbane Road in Ilford, east London, close to an entrance to Valentines Park in the early hours of Thursday, after her family asked people to file a complaint as they "thought something was wrong" by November 13.

An international manhunt is now under way for Ms Brella's husband, Pankaj Lamba, who was named by Northamptonshire Police as the prime suspect in her murder.

The woman's parents said they now "want justice" for their daughter. Speaking from India, Ms Brella's mother, Sudesh Kumari, said: "I just want justice for my daughter."

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Harshita's mother Sudesh Kumari (left) and sister Sonia Dabas (right)

Her father, Satbir Brella, told BBC News: "I want my son-in-law to be brought to justice and I want my daughter's body brought home." Her sister, Sonia Dabas, said her sibling was "very excited" to move to the UK in April following an arranged marriage with Lamba but "didn't live a very happy life" after settling in the country.

She added that her sister "struggled a lot because of her husband." Ms Brella's father said her husband complained to him about her failing to make him food "on time" and said she was "talking too much to her mother."

An international manhunt has been launched for Pankaj Lamba( Image: PA)
The wedding ceremony was held in northern India

Ms Brella's sister said she had worked in a warehouse and Lamba was a student in London. She said in August, her sister called her father in India to say she had run away as her husband was hitting her. Ms Dabas said: "She said he was hitting her and she escaped. She ran out on the streets, he chased after her and hit her there as well.

"There was a local who saw this and asked what happened which is why he left her. Harshita called someone she knew who came to pick her up." The family said they last spoke to Ms Brella by phone on November 10 and that her phone was off for the next two days, BBC News reported.

Detectives at the home where Harshita lived in Corby, Northamptonshire( Image: Terry Harris)

A neighbour has said she heard two blistering rows, one involving a woman who "sounded scared", in the days before Ms Brella's body was discovered. Northamptonshire Police Chief Inspector Paul Cash told a press conference in Kettering: "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. We believe he has now fled the country." Earlier, a police spokesman confirmed Ms Brella had previously been the victim of domestic violence and in early September was made subject of a Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO) at Northampton Magistrates' Court.

Northamptonshire Police have made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) because of previous contact between the force and Ms Brella. Anyone who may have information is asked to call police on 101 quoting Operation Westcott or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.