Harshita Brella 'told mum her husband was going to kill her' before she was found dead in car boot

Harshita Brella, 24, spoke to her mum just weeks before her body was found in the boot of a silver Vauxhall Corsa in Ilford, east London - telling her 'he will kill me'

A woman who was found dead in the boot of a car in London allegedly warned her mum that her husband “was going to kill her” just weeks before the horror discovery.

Harshita Brella, 24, was found in the back of a silver Vauxhall Corsa in Brisbane Road, Ilford, east London, on November 14. An international manhunt was quickly launched for her husband Pankaj Lamba, 23, the prime suspect in her murder, who is thought to have fled the country.

Police 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 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.” She added that Harshita was “very simple, very innocent. She did not fight with people.”

Harshita's family believe Lamba has fled to India, but told Newsnight that police in Delhi claim they have not had a request from Northamptonshire Police to arrest him. Northamptonshire Police was approached for comment.

Harshita’s father Satbir Brella burst into tears as he spoke about her to BBC Newsnight. “She was a very sweet daughter,” he said, adding that the family have been suffering since her death. He said: “The police in Delhi are not listening to us. They say the UK police have not made a request, so how can we do anything? How can we arrest him?”

He said Harshita had previously told him that Lamba was hurting her. “She told me about it earlier, but it was on the morning of August 29 when she called me crying and said he beat me really badly,” he said.

“She said I have called a friend and she is coming to help me. I told that friend can you take Harshita to your home and I will speak to her a little later. My daughter was crying, crying so hard.”

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it will investigate Northamptonshire Police’s contact with Ms Brella, while a worldwide hunt is under way for Lamba.

The watchdog previously said Harshita 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.