A 24-year-old woman believed to be of South Asian origin has been found murdered in a car boot in east London after a missing person inquiry was launched for her in the East Midlands region of England.
Northamptonshire Police named the victim as Harshita Brella on Saturday night as the force launched a murder inquiry and appealed for information in the case.
Police said it had received a call on Wednesday regarding concerns for Harshita’s welfare and officers were deployed to her home address at Skegness Walk in Corby, Northamptonshire.
After getting no answer, the police launched a missing person investigation and fast-track enquiries were made which led to the discovery of the victim’s body inside the boot of a vehicle on Brisbane Road in the Ilford area of east London in the early hours of Thursday.
A post-mortem was conducted at Leicester Royal Infirmary on Friday which established the murder victim as Harshita Brella, whose name indicates a South Asian heritage, but there is no further confirmation of her family background at this stage of the inquiry.
“First of all, I want to express my heartfelt condolences to everyone who loved Harshita Brella,” said Detective Chief Inspector Johnny Campbell, Senior Investigating Officer from the East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit (EMSOU).
“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 from EMSOU and Northamptonshire Police are working around the clock to establish the circumstances behind her death, including the exact location and timeframe in which it took place,” he said.
Investigators believe Harshita was killed in a “targeted incident” as they appealed to anyone who may have information about the incident to come forward.
“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,” Campbell said.
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,” he said.
The police said officers were satisfied there is no wider risk to the public as a result of this incident, however, extra patrols will be taking place in Corby in the coming days for reassurance purposes.
As is mandatory, Northamptonshire Police has also made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to previous contact between the police force and the victim.
“Shortly after midnight on the morning of Thursday, November 14, the Met was contacted by officers from Northamptonshire Police raising concerns for the welfare of a woman who was believed to be in a car in the east London area,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.
“The car was located parked in Brisbane Road, Ilford, and the body of a 24-year-old woman was found inside the vehicle,” the spokesperson said.
The police investigators are now working to establish the connection between Harshita going missing from her home in Corby, around 145km north of London, and being found dead in a car in the UK capital days later.
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