Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Harshita Brella sent distress messages months before murder: Report

Harshita Brella’s family last spoke with her on 10 November, after which her phone was switched off. They alerted the police on 13 November.

Brella's body was discovered in the boot of a car in Ilford, east London, on 14 November. (Photo: Northamptonshire Police)
Brella's body was discovered in the boot of a car in Ilford, east London, on 14 November. (Photo: Northamptonshire Police)

HARSHITA BRELLA sent WhatsApp messages expressing fear and distress in the months before she was found dead, according to a news report.

Brella’s husband, Pankaj Lamba, is the prime suspect in her murder and is the subject of an international manhunt after reportedly fleeing the UK.


Brella's body was discovered in the boot of a car in Ilford, east London, on 14 November.

In messages from July, according to Channel 4 News, Lamba threatened her, saying: “If you really have the courage, then try and talk back to me and see what happens.” Brella also told her family she was experiencing financial abuse, stating, “He hasn’t even left £1,” and adding, “From now on, I have to live in hiding.”

Brella’s family last spoke with her on 10 November, after which her phone was switched off. They alerted police on 13 November over concerns for her welfare. The next day, her body was discovered.

Lamba had been arrested earlier on suspicion of abusing Brella and was subject to a Domestic Violence Protection Order in September. Northamptonshire Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct due to previous contact with her.

Channel 4 News also reported that Brella was on a dependent visa with no recourse to public funds, which domestic abuse charities say can make migrant women more vulnerable.

Assistant chief constable Emma James said police are working to secure justice and helped arrange the repatriation of Brella’s body to her family in India.

The investigation is ongoing.

More For You

In 2022, as chair of the Criminal Bar Association, Jo Sidhu led strikes over legal aid rates, which resulted in the suspension of court proceedings in England and Wales. (Photo: Getty Images)
In 2022, as chair of the Criminal Bar Association, Jo Sidhu led strikes over legal aid rates, which resulted in the suspension of court proceedings in England and Wales. (Photo: Getty Images)
In 2022, as chair of the Criminal Bar Association, Jo Sidhu led strikes over legal aid rates, which resulted in the suspension of court proceedings in England and Wales. (Photo: Getty Images)

KC Sidhu found guilty of misconduct over hotel room incident

Navjot “Jo” Sidhu KC, 58, has been found guilty of professional misconduct by a disciplinary tribunal for inviting an aspiring barrister to spend the night in his hotel room during a criminal trial.

The tribunal unanimously ruled that Sidhu’s invitation to the paralegal, who was on work experience with him, was “entirely of a sexual nature and entirely inappropriate in all the circumstances,” The Times reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Leicestershire Police

According to Leicestershire Police, the two male passengers remain in hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. (Photo: X/@leicspolice)

According to Leicestershire Police, the two male passengers remain in hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. (Photo: X/@leicspolice)

Indian student dies, four injured in Leicestershire road accident

A 32-YEAR-OLD Indian student has died in a road accident in Leicestershire, with four others hospitalised with serious injuries, according to police.

Chiranjeevi Panguluri, a passenger in the car, died at the scene when the vehicle left the road and came to rest in a ditch. The accident, involving a grey Mazda 3 Tamura, occurred on Tuesday morning as the car travelled from Leicester towards Market Harborough.

Keep ReadingShow less
care workers

New report exposed a system that has pushed vulnerable carers into financial and emotional turmoil. (Photo for representation: iStock)

Carer's allowance penalties trap many in debt: report

HUNDREDS of thousands of unpaid carers have been hammered by harsh penalties for minor rule breaches, a damning national audit has revealed.

The National Audit Office (NAO) report exposed a system that has pushed vulnerable carers into financial and emotional turmoil.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman alleges sex GP Thomas Plimmer tried to choke her

The woman described feeling scared and worried that he might cut off her airway (Photo for representation: iStock)

Woman alleges sex GP Thomas Plimmer tried to choke her

A woman has come forward alleging that a former GP, struck off for misconduct, attempted to choke her during an intimate encounter without her consent.

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she met Thomas Plimmer on a dating app in 2017. On their second date at her home, she claimed he “started squeezing my throat” during sex, despite no prior discussion or agreement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Planning overhaul targets 1.5 million new homes

Keir Starmer speaks during an Advent reception in Downing Street, London, December 11, 2024. Stefan Rousseau/Pool via REUTERS.

Planning overhaul targets 1.5 million new homes

BRITAIN on Thursday (12) outlined details of an overhaul to its planning system to help boost growth and hit a target of 1.5 million new homes in the next five years, including ordering local authorities to build more houses.

The housebuilding target was one of six measurable "milestones" announced by prime minister Keir Starmer a week ago, as he pledged to revamp a planning system he described as having a "chokehold" on growth.

Keep ReadingShow less