Detectives fear woman found dead in car boot was killed by someone she knew

Northamptonshire Police have referred themselves to a watchdog as officers had contact with Harshita Brella before her murder

Harshita Brella’s life was “cut short”, police said (Northamptonshire Police)

Detectives fear a young woman found in a car boot in London 100 miles from home was murdered by someone she knew.

Harshita Brella, 24, was discovered on Brisbane Road, Ilford after Northamptonshire Police found her home in the small town of Corby, Northamptonshire empty.

Responding to calls for her welfare, officers got no answer at her home in Skegness Walk and promptly launched a fast-track search for her.

This hunt led them to an empty car in east London where they discovered Ms Brella’s body inside the boot – some 95.7 miles away from her home.

A postmortem at Leicester Royal Infirmary established that Harshita had been murdered.

Northamptonshire Police have referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after they said officers had previous contact with Ms Bella before she was killed.

DCI Johnny Campbell said: “First of all, I want to express my heartfelt condolences to everyone who loved Harshita Brella.

“She was a young woman in her early 20s with her whole life ahead of her and it is absolutely tragic that her life has been cut short in this way.

“Detectives are working around the clock to establish the circumstances behind her death, including the exact location and timeframe in which it took place.”

DCI Campbell is appealing to anyone who may have information about this incident to come forward.

He added: “Although we believe Harshita was attacked by someone known to her, we are keeping an open mind, and would appeal to anyone who knew her to contact us with any relevant information they may have.

“If you saw anything suspicious in the past week or have any information, no matter how small, please contact us. We would always rather receive well-meaning information that turns out to be nothing as opposed to not receiving it all.”

Anyone who has any information that could help detectives bring Harshita’s killer to justice, is asked to call police on 101 quoting incident number 24000678713.

Alternatively information can be submitted via an online portal: Public Portal (mipp.police.uk) or by calling Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555111.