New Delhi [India], November 22 (ANI): A grisly murder shook Northamptonshire in the UK, allegedly due to a dowry demand. Harshita Brella's murder points to her husband, 23-year-old Pankaj Lamba, as the prime suspect, according to Northamptonshire police.

Sonia Brella, Harshita's elder sister, told ANI on Friday that Lamba's family had demanded dowry from them, even though they had already provided gold and money during the wedding. Sonia expressed her suspicion that her sister was murdered over this issue.

‘Harshita was married to Pankaj Lamba on March 22 this year. The family had given a lot of dowry to Pankaj, but he was still not happy and kept demanding more from us,’ she said.

Harshita's body had been transported from Corby to east London by car, which was left parked in Brisbane Road, Ilford, on November 14. Investigations suggest that Harshita was murdered on November 10. Police are now searching for Pankaj Lamba, who they wish to speak to in connection with her death, according to the police statement.

‘We received a call from a local police station on November 15 that Harshita had been murdered. The embassy might have informed them. We were surprised at how this happened. When we called Harshita and Lamba, both their phones were switched off. When we told Pankaj's family, they did not seem worried. We then felt that Pankaj must have told them everything after the murder,’ Sonia told ANI.

Northamptonshire Police launched a murder investigation after Harshita's body was found on November 14, as per their statement.

‘We had talked to Harshita on the 10th, but we did not talk to Pankaj much. At that time, she was very happy...she did not tell us that anything had happened,’ Sonia said.

Sonia also shared that on August 29, after Harshita lodged a complaint, Pankaj's family members had come to their house, demanding more dowry. Her father then sold some of their property to arrange the money.

‘On August 29, when Pankaj had beaten her, she lodged a complaint against him. Subsequently, his family members came to our house again and started demanding dowry, causing my father to sell some property to fulfill their demand. By February, we were able to meet the demand,’ she said.

Sonia said that Harshita was assaulted by her husband and filed a case of domestic abuse against him on August 29 with Northamptonshire Police. Pankaj secretly paid the fine and was released on bail.

‘Harshita's husband assaulted her on August 29, and she had filed a case against him. She kept us informed about every moment. This case was closed on October 30 when Pankaj paid the fine, but Harshita was not informed about it. It was said that Pankaj had got the case closed by paying the fine,’ she said.

Assistant Chief Constable Emma James said, ‘Harshita was identified as being at high risk of domestic abuse and was immediately assigned an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA)... Harshita was placed in a refuge and visited and contacted by officers on a number of occasions throughout the investigation. The alleged perpetrator was identified, quickly arrested, and bailed with conditions.’

Sonia mentioned that the two were married on March 22 and moved to the UK the following month, as Lamba wanted to continue his studies.

‘Pankaj and Harshita had an arranged marriage on March 22. They moved to the UK on April 30. Pankaj works part-time as a delivery boy because he is a student, while Harshita works as an admin in a warehouse. He needed her to work and used to check her salary slips. He made her work multiple shifts and even kept records of her bank details. Pankaj emptied her account after she filed the case,’ she said.

‘The UK police told us that it will take a week or two for Harshita's body to arrive. We have signed the undertaking and sent it,’ she added.

Sonia also appealed to the UK police to send Harshita's mortal remains.

‘Why didn’t the UK police guide Harshita when she had already been subjected to domestic violence? The UK police told us that Pankaj killed Harshita and no one else was involved. Neighbors said that about 10 minutes after the fight, they saw Pankaj coming out of the house,’ she said.

Sonia suspects that Pankaj has fled to India and is hiding there.

‘I’m sure that Pankaj has fled from the UK to India and is hiding somewhere here. The UK police should also alert Indian authorities to arrest Pankaj if he is here. We want to register a complaint with the Delhi Police, but they are not registering a case, saying that the incident took place on foreign soil. We will also go to the Ministry of External Affairs to register our complaint,’ she said.

Sonia further suspects that Lamba's family knows his whereabouts and is aware of the murder.

‘When I called Pankaj's mother about the news, she coolly replied that at least my sister was returning. She said her son's whereabouts were unknown, but on the other hand, they are not even trying to find him and seem calm. This behavior raises suspicions,’ she said.

(ANI)