Woman whose body was found in car boot seen on CCTV with chief suspect hours before her death

Murder detectives investigating after a woman's body was found in the boot of a car have released a new CCTV image of her on the night police believe she was killed.

The image shows Harshita Brella walking in the area around the Corby Boating Lake, in Northamptonshire, on Sunday, 10 November.

She is seen in the picture with her husband Pankaj Lamba, who has been described by police as a prime suspect in the murder investigation.

An international manhunt to find the 23-year-old continues.

Pankaj Lamba. Pic: Northamptonshire police
Image: Pankaj Lamba. Pic: Northamptonshire police

Northamptonshire Police launched their investigation after Ms Brella's body was found inside the boot of a silver Vauxhall Corsa parked in Ilford, east London, in the early hours of Thursday, 14 November.

Detectives believe she was killed on the night of Sunday, 10 November, and that her body was transported to east London in the car, which was left parked on Brisbane Road.

Pic: Northamptonshire police
Image: Pic: Northamptonshire police

Detective chief inspector Johnny Campbell from the East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit (EMSOU), said: "Our inquiries have established that Pankaj and Harshita were in the area of the boating lake on Sunday evening, and as part of our ongoing investigation we have carried out searches in the surrounding area.

"We know that it's a busy part of the town and there will have been a lot of passing traffic

"As such, we're appealing to anyone who was in Corby between 6pm and 9pm on Sunday, November 10, specifically in the area around the Corby Boating Lake, Cottingham Road and Westcott Way.

"If you have any dashcam footage, or other information that may be relevant to the investigation, however small, please contact us as soon as possible.

"Any information you have may help us piece together exactly what happened to Harshita and help bring her killer to justice."

Harshita Brella. Pic: Sonia Dabas
Image: Harshita Brella. Pic: Sonia Dabas
Get Sky News on WhatsApp
Get Sky News on WhatsApp

Follow our channel and never miss an update

Tap here to follow

Read more from Sky News:
Sister of Harshita Brella says she 'can't live without' sibling

It comes after police released new CCTV images of Lamba on Tuesday, showing him in east London.

A police spokesman confirmed Ms Brella had previously been the victim of domestic violence and was made the subject of a domestic violence protection order (DVPO) at Northampton Magistrates' Court in September.

Pic: Northamptonshire police
Image: Pic: Northamptonshire police

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

Northamptonshire Police have made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) because of previous contact with Ms Brella.

At an inquest on Wednesday, senior coroner Anne Pember said the preliminary cause of death has been given as manual strangulation, pending further test results.

The coroner adjourned the inquest into Ms Brella's death until 21 May next year.