A woman whose remains were discovered in the trunk of a vehicle had alerted her relatives that her spouse intended to take her life.
Authorities suspect that Harshita Brella, 24, was strangled to death in Corby, Northamptonshire, on the night of 10 November.
An international search operation commenced to locate her husband Pankaj Lamba, 23, after her corpse was found in the trunk of a silver Vauxhall Corsa on Brisbane Road in Ilford, east London, on 14 November.
Her mother, Sudesh Kumari, informed BBC Newsnight that she had communicated with her “very simple, very innocent” daughter just weeks prior to her demise.
“(Lamba) was making her life unbearable,” she stated. “She told me, ‘I will not return to him. He will eliminate me.'”
Body found in car trunk. Pic: Northamptonshire police
Ms. Brella’s father became emotional as he recounted to the broadcaster, “she was a very kind daughter” who had confided in him about Lamba’s abuse.
“She informed me about it previously, but on the morning of 29 August, she called me in tears and said he had assaulted her severely,” he recounted.
“She mentioned she had contacted a friend who was coming to aid her. I told that friend, ‘Can you take Harshita to your residence and I will discuss things with her a bit later.'”
“My daughter was sobbing, sobbing so intensely.”
CCTV captured at Corby Boating Lake. Pic: Northamptonshire Police
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has announced it will probe Northamptonshire Police’s interactions with Ms. Brella and her spouse.
She had filed a domestic abuse report with authorities in August, leading to Lamba’s arrest on 3 September; however, he was granted conditional bail, and a domestic violence protection order was established.
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The police informed that they commenced the search for Ms. Brella following a call expressing concern for her safety on 13 November, the day preceding the discovery of her lifeless body.
CCTV footage was made public showing the couple at a boating lake on 10 November, the very same day authorities suspect she was murdered.
