The man charged with the murder and rape of Harshita Brella is believed to have been running a snack and vegetable store in India, ITV News understands.
Pankaj Lamba – Ms Brella’s husband – was running the store near Delhi, not far from his childhood home. Locals told us he kept his face covered and he was with a woman and a young child.
We have been told by his former teacher Sunil Saini that he last saw Pankaj there in April when he closed the store, which is now an egg shop, because the police were closing in.
He said: “He contacted me again in February or March. Before leaving town, he came to meet me and mentioned that he had some items from a restaurant.
"He said, ‘If you’re planning to open a restaurant, you can use them—or if not, you can try to sell them.’ This conversation took place around the 10th or 11th of April this year.”
Detectives believe 24-year-old Harshita Brella was killed by Lamba in Corby, Northamptonshire, on the evening of 10 November 2024.
Ms Brella was then found dead in a car four days later in Ilford, east London – almost 100 miles away.
An international manhunt was launched for Lamba after the discovery of Ms Brella’s body, with police saying at the time that he was thought to have fled the country.
He was charged in his absence for his wife’s murder and is also accused of two counts of rape, sexual assault, and controlling or coercive behaviour.
Her family believe if officers had acted properly – their daughter would still be alive, and her killer would not be on the run.
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