"The controlling was really bad towards the end."
Harshita Brella’s husband worked his way back into her life after being arrested for domestic abuse, her sister said.
According to police, the 24-year-old was strangled at her home in Corby on the evening of November 10, 2024, before her body was driven to Ilford.
Her body was found in the boot of a Vauxhall Corsa on November 14.
Her husband Pankaj Lamba has been named as the prime suspect in the murder investigation.
Ms Brella’s sister Sonia Dabas said Lamba had been arrested in September and a domestic violence protection order was put in place.
But he convinced his wife to withdraw her case.
Ms Brella got a job in a packing factory near Corby after having an arranged marriage with Lamba earlier in 2024.
Ms Dabas said Lamba beat her sister and would deny her access to money.
She said: “The controlling was really bad towards the end. He even told her not to work anymore.”
Harshita Brella stayed silent about the alleged abuse but eventually told her sister in a phone call on August 28 and decided to go to the police.
Ms Dabas told The Sunday Times: “The run-up to it was beatings by Pankaj over nothing.
“She went to the police because he had beaten her.”
Lamba was arrested by Northamptonshire Police on September 3 but was released on conditional bail and a domestic violence protection order was put in place, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.
Lamba was not supposed to call his wife but one day, while Ms Brella was in a refuge, she received a phone call from one of his relatives in India, who then allegedly added him to the call.
Ms Dabas said: “They both began badgering her and bullying her to withdraw the case against Pankaj.
“So she went to the police to withdraw it and found a rented room to stay [in].”
Lamba gradually began forcing his way back into Harshita Brella’s life.
The IOPC said it will investigate Northamptonshire Police’s contact with Ms Brella, while an international manhunt is underway for Lamba.
Ms Dabas added: “I am sure Pankaj is in India but we can’t do anything to get the police on to him.
“India is a very safe place for him. It’s easy to go missing in India.”
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