THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
Bal Ram Sampla
Geopolitics
The dream of a new life in the United Kingdom transformed into a living nightmare for 24-year-old Harshita Brella. Arriving from New Delhi full of optimism, Harshita’s life was cut short in November 2024 in a case that has exposed severe institutional failures within British policing, leaving a devastated family campaigning for justice across two continents.
Harshita moved to Corby, Northamptonshire, in August 2024 to join her 23-year-old husband, Pankaj Lamba. Within weeks, the marriage deteriorated into a cycle of terror. On August 29, 2024, a terrified Harshita contacted the Northamptonshire Police, reporting that she was a victim of severe domestic abuse.
Lamba was arrested on September 3, but subsequently released on police bail with explicit conditions forbidding him from contacting his wife. A Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO) was put in place to act as a legal shield. Yet, behind closed doors, the harassment and intimidation intensified.
Investigations indicate that on the evening of November 10, 2024, the safety net failed completely. Forensic teams believe Harshita was strangled to death inside her Corby home.
What followed was a cold, calculated cover-up. The next morning, Lamba bundled Harshita’s body into the boot of a silver Vauxhall Corsa and drove nearly 100 miles to Ilford, East London. He abandoned the vehicle on Brisbane Road and fled the country on a flight back to India before an alarm could be raised.
Days later, after frantic calls from her family in India went unanswered, a welfare check was initiated. On November 14, British police discovered Harshita’s body hidden in the car boot. In March 2025, the Crown Prosecution Service officially charged Lamba in his absence with murder, two counts of rape, sexual assault, and controlling or coercive behavior.
Institutional Failures
The tragedy deepened when the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched a rigorous investigation into how Northamptonshire Police managed Harshita’s cries for help. The findings, released in late 2025, were damning.
The watchdog concluded that four officers had serious cases to answer for misconduct:
(1) Two Detective Constables face allegations of gross misconduct for failing to appropriately review her case, failing to execute necessary investigative actions, neglecting to seek supervisory advice, and failing to keep Harshita adequately updated.
(2) A Sergeant and a Chief Inspector face misconduct charges regarding the poor supervision, review, and risk assessment assigned to Harshita’s ongoing domestic abuse file.
The system designed to protect a vulnerable immigrant had left her isolated and exposed.
Hiding in Plain Sight
While British authorities reel from internal failures, Pankaj Lamba remains at large. An international manhunt tracked him to India, where he has successfully evaded captured by moving through familiar terrain.
CCTV footage captured Lamba withdrawing over £4,000 from banks in Gurgaon in mid-2025. Investigations later revealed he spent months hiding in plain sight, keeping his face covered while running a small snack and vegetable stall near Delhi. He was last spotted by a former schoolteacher in April 2025, right before closing shop and vanishing into Asia’s vast transport networks as police closed in.
A Family’s 4,000-Mile Quest for Answers
Driven by grief, Harshita’s mother, Sudesh Kumari, father, Satbir Singh, and sister, Sonia Dabas, made the long journey from New Delhi to the UK. Visiting the boating lake in Corby where Harshita was last seen alive, her mother wept, recalling how Harshita would call home and pretend everything was fine to spare them anxiety.
The family has held high-level meetings with British politicians and safeguarding officials. While UK leaders have openly admitted that the police failed Harshita, her family emphasizes that words are no longer enough.
”I just need the support of people from the UK and authorities,” Sonia Dabas stated. “They assure it, but I’m just waiting for action.”
Until Pankaj Lamba is extradited to face a British courtroom, Harshita Brella’s case stands as a grim reminder of the fatal cost of institutional complacency in the face of domestic violence.
References
1.https://youtu.be/Hp4rahBZThY?si=B1dKwttHlgqvgyHX
2.https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15847739/newlywed-killed-husband-alive-police-stay-UK-family.html
3.https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2026-05-20/sister-of-harshita-brella-says-uk-visit-shows-shes-not-in-this-fight-alone?hl=en-GB
