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Police hunting a man believed to have fled the country after his wife was murdered and discovered in the boot of a car have released new CCTV images of the suspect.
The body of 24-year-old Harshita Brella was found in the early hours of Thursday in Ilford, east London, nearly 100 miles from her home in Corby, Northamptonshire, after concerns were raised for her welfare.
A post-mortem examination found that she had been murdered and gave her cause of death as strangulation, Northamptonshire Police said on Tuesday.
An international manhunt was launched on Thursday for her husband, 23-year-old Pankaj Lamba, who is believed to have fled the country.
Renewing their appeal for information on Tuesday, the force said detectives had been piecing together hours of CCTV footage in the Corby and Ilford areas to track the movements of their suspect – released new images which they hope may prompt new witnesses to come forward.
Detective Chief Inspector Johnny Campbell said: “Our inquiries have established that Pankaj Lamba drove a Silver Vauxhall Corsa from Corby to Ilford sometime on the morning of Monday, November 11.
“We suspect Harshita’s body had been placed in the boot of the vehicle by Lamba before leaving Corby. Lamba then abandoned the vehicle in Brisbane Road, Ilford and made his getaway.”
“We are continuing to appeal for information and I would urge anyone who may have seen anything suspicious or had any sightings of Pankaj Lamba in Corby, Ilford or elsewhere in the days leading up to the discovery of Harshita’s body, to contact police as soon as possible.
“Any information, no matter how small, may be relevant to the investigation and help us get justice for Harshita.
“Specialist officers continue to provide support to Harshita’s family and our thoughts are with them at this extremely difficult time as they try come to terms with the tragic loss of their daughter and sister.”
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Source: independent.co.uk
