AN inquest has begun into the death of Harshita Brella, a 24-year-old woman from Corby, whose body was found in the boot of a car in east London. Police suspect her husband, 23-year-old Pankaj Lamba, is responsible for her murder.
At the hearing in Northampton, senior coroner Anne Pember said the provisional cause of death was "manual strangulation," with further toxicology and histology results pending. The inquest has been adjourned until 21 May 2025, and Brella’s body has not yet been released.
Meanwhile, detectives have renewed their plea for information as they work to uncover the events that led to her murder.
They have reviewed extensive CCTV footage from Corby and Ilford as part of their efforts to trace the suspect's movements. New images have been released to encourage anyone who may have encountered Lamba between the morning of 10 November, and the evening of 11 November, to come forward and assist the investigation.
Authorities believe he transported her body from Corby to Ilford, where he abandoned the car on Brisbane Road before fleeing the country. His whereabouts remain unknown.
Northamptonshire Police have also released a CCTV image showing him in east London after leaving the vehicle.
Police believe Pankaj Lamba murdered 24-year-old Harshita Brella in Northamptonshire earlier this month. (Photo: Northamptonshire Police)According to reports, Brella's death has raised concerns about domestic violence protections. She had been issued a domestic violence protection order in early September, but it lasted only 28 days.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Corby MP Lee Barron called the case "tragic" and questioned whether the government would extend the duration of such orders to better safeguard vulnerable individuals.
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner responded, acknowledging that Brella "should have been protected" and reaffirming the government’s commitment to reducing violence against women by half.
Harshita was reported missing on 13 November after officers visited her home in Skegness Walk, Corby, following concerns for her welfare. Her body was found in the boot of a car in Brisbane Road, Ilford, east London, on 14 November. Police believe she was killed in Corby days earlier before being transported to London.
A post-mortem examination conducted at Leicester Royal Infirmary confirmed the preliminary cause of death as strangulation.
Detective chief inspector Johnny Campbell, leading the investigation, stressed the importance of maintaining the integrity of the case. “We are working tirelessly with our partners to secure justice for Harshita,” he said. “While we can’t comment on all aspects of the investigation, we are pursuing multiple leads.
"We know Lamba drove a silver Vauxhall Corsa from Corby to Ilford on the morning of Monday, 11th November. We believe Harshita’s body was placed in the boot before he set off. He abandoned the car in Brisbane Road and fled the scene.”
DCI Campbell urged the public to come forward with any information, no matter how small. “If you saw anything unusual or have any knowledge of Lamba’s movements, whether in Corby, Ilford, or elsewhere, please contact the police. Your information could help bring closure to Harshita’s grieving family," he said.
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Anurag Bajpayee's Gradiant: The water company tackling a global crisis
In a world increasingly defined by scarcity, one resource is emerging as the most quietly decisive factor in the future of industry, sustainability, and even geopolitics: water. Yet, while the headlines are dominated by energy transition and climate pledges, few companies working behind the scenes on water issues have attracted much public attention. One of them is Gradiant, a Boston-based firm that has, over the past decade, grown into a key player in the underappreciated but critical sector of industrial water treatment.
A Company Born from MIT, and from Urgency
Founded in 2013 by Anurag Bajpayee and Prakash Govindan, two researchers with strong ties to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Gradiant began as a scrappy start-up with a deceptively simple premise: make water work harder. At a time when discussions about climate change were centred almost exclusively on carbon emissions and renewable energy, the trio saw water scarcity looming in the background.
Their insight was that some of the world’s largest industries—semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, food and beverage—were facing acute water-related challenges long before the general public grasped the issue. “Without water, these industries don’t just slow down; they stop,” Bajpayee has often remarked. What Gradiant offered was not just a way to save water, but a way to rethink how it is used, recycled, and valued.
The Engineers Behind the Mission
Anurag Bajpayee, the company’s CEO, whose academic path took him to MIT, where he completed a PhD in Mechanical Engineering focused on water treatment technologies. It was there that he met Govindan, a fellow engineer and now Gradiant's co-founder and COO, whose expertise complemented his in fluid mechanics and process engineering.
Unlike many founders who drift towards the language of venture capital and corporate strategy, Anurag Bajpayee and his team remained grounded in the technical problem: how to make industrial water treatment more efficient, more affordable, and more sustainable. The company still bears the imprint of its founders’ engineering roots. Gradiant is less Silicon Valley startup and more MIT lab, albeit one that has quietly expanded across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America.
What Gradiant Actually Does
The company specializes in designing and building bespoke water treatment and reuse systems for industrial clients. Its technologies are aimed at enabling factories and plants to reclaim water that would otherwise be discarded as waste, reducing both the amount of water withdrawn from natural sources and the volume of contaminated water discharged.
At the heart of Gradiant’s portfolio are proprietary technologies such as Counter Flow Reverse Osmosis (CFRO), Carrier Gas Extraction (CGE) and Selective Ion Recovery (SIR), developed from the Gradiant founders’ early research at MIT. Unlike traditional methods like reverse osmosis, these systems are designed to handle highly contaminated or complex wastewater streams, enabling clients to extract clean water even from previously unusable sources.
But Gradiant does not sell “one-size-fits-all” machines. Each project is tailored to the customer’s unique needs. For a semiconductor plant in Singapore, this might mean achieving ultrapure water reuse levels of 98%; for a food and beverage factory in Texas, it might be about safely treating wastewater for discharge while minimising energy consumption. The company's approach—sometimes called "solutioneering" internally—is both its competitive advantage and its raison d'être.
Expansion Without the Usual Hype
Gradiant’s growth has been quietly impressive. From its first commercial project in the oil and gas sector, it has gone on to complete over 500 installations worldwide. The company has raised more than $400 million in funding from a mix of institutional investors and private equity firms, achieving so-called “unicorn” status, with a valuation reportedly over $1 billion.
Unlike many green tech firms, Gradiant’s expansion has not been accompanied by flashy marketing campaigns or grandiose statements. Instead, the company has preferred to build credibility client by client, particularly in Asia, where water-intensive industries and growing environmental pressures make its services indispensable. Anurag Bajpayee, never one to speak in superlatives, frames the company’s expansion as a “response to urgent need” rather than a triumph of business.
Inside Gradiant’s Operations
At its core, Gradiant is still an engineering-first company. Anurag Bajpayee and Govindan, both technically trained and heavily involved in the company’s operations, have instilled a culture where R&D is not just a department but the lifeblood of the business. The firm currently holds more than 250 patents globally, a testament to its ongoing commitment to innovation.
But Gradiant’s success is not just about technology. The company has differentiated itself by offering not just equipment but full-service solutions, including project design, construction, operations, and maintenance. This full-stack approach has been particularly attractive to clients in highly regulated industries, who need water management solutions that work seamlessly and reliably without requiring deep in-house expertise.
Gradiant’s clients include some of the world’s largest manufacturers, including Fortune 500 companies in sectors like microelectronics, pharmaceuticals, and energy. Some, like semiconductor producers, rely on Gradiant to help them meet stringent water reuse targets while maintaining ultra-clean production environments.
Navigating a Changing World
Gradiant operates at the intersection of several converging trends: climate change, regulatory pressure, and industrial decarbonisation. In many regions, water scarcity has become the limiting factor for industrial growth, sometimes more than energy availability or supply chain constraints.
While public attention often focuses on domestic water use, it is industries that consume the lion’s share of freshwater. Gradiant's pitch is straightforward: industries will have to do more with less, and Gradiant offers the tools to make that possible.
Anurag Bajpayee is keenly aware of the paradox that water, despite being vital, is often underpriced and undervalued, especially when compared to energy. “We don’t pay what it’s worth, only what it costs,” he told an audience at a recent conference. Yet, the landscape is shifting. Regulators, investors, and companies themselves are increasingly acknowledging water as both a business risk and a social responsibility.
What's Next for Gradiant?
Looking ahead, Gradiant appears poised to play a central role as industries adapt to water scarcity. Yet, Anurag Bajpayee remains cautious about the hype cycle. "The problem we’re working on isn’t going anywhere," he says. "It’s not a question of innovation alone, but of execution—of making sure these solutions actually reach the places that need them most."
In an era where water risk is increasingly material to business, Gradiant’s quiet, technically grounded approach may prove to be exactly what is needed.
(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Eastern Eye. The publication does not endorse or take responsibility for the accuracy of any statements made by the author.)