Harshita Brella case to be raised by attorney general

The attorney general has vowed to raise the case of Harshita Brella with other ministers as the two-year anniversary of her death approaches.

The body of the 24-year-old was found in a car in east London in November 2024, 100 miles (160km) from her home in Corby, Northamptonshire.

A hunt to locate her husband Pankaj Lamba, who is believed to have left the UK for India, is ongoing after a murder charge was authorised against him.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Lee Barron, the Labour MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire, asked Reeves to "give her family the reassurance that all is being done to bring Harshita the justice that she and her family so desperately deserves."

In response, Ellie Reeves KC said: "I will of course be happy to raise this matter with my ministerial colleagues and get back to him."

In August 2024, Brella contacted Northamptonshire Police and said Lamba had abused her.

He was arrested and released on bail, with a condition not to contact her.

The following month, she was given a domestic violence protection order lasting 28 days, but on 14 November her body was found with signs she had been strangled four days earlier.

A murder charge was authorised against Lamba, who is accused of two counts of rape, sexual assault and controlling or coercive behaviour.

In May this year, the family travelled to the UK from India and had a meeting with Northamptonshire Police, at the same time that a misconduct meeting was being held relating to two officers who were in contact with Brella prior to her death.

The results of that are yet to be shared, while a disciplinary investigation against two other officers remains under way.

Reeves added: "Our thoughts remain with Harshita's family as they continue to seek justice for their daughter."

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