Corby murder victim whose body was found in boot of car in Ilford is named and pictured

Detectives investigating the death of a woman from Corby found dead in the boot of a car in Ilford have named the victim as 24-year-old Harshita Brella (pictured).

A murder investigation was launched after the body of a woman, who police have now named as Harshita, was found in a car in east London. The finding came about after Northamptonshire Police received a call on Wednesday, November 13, regarding concerns for Harshita’s welfare.

It comes as it has emerged that Northamptonshire Police has also made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to previous contact between the force and the victim.

Officers were deployed to her home address in Skegness Walk, Corby, and after getting no answer, launched a missing person investigation. Fast-track enquiries were made which sadly led to the discovery of a woman’s body inside the boot of a vehicle in Brisbane Road in the Ilford area of London, in the early hours of Thursday, November 14.

A forensic postmortem examination, which took place at Leicester Royal Infirmary on Friday, November 15, established that Harshita had been murdered.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Johnny Campbell from the East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit (EMSOU), said: “First of all, I want to express my heartfelt condolences to everyone who loved Harshita Brella.

“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.”

DCI Campbell is appealing to anyone who may have information about this incident to come forward.

He said: “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.

“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.”

Last night, a woman who lives within metres of where the car with the body in the boot was found did not want to discuss it, but said how long police had been there.

She said: "I don't really want to talk about such a sensitive matter, but the police were here from around midnight on Wednesday right through to the end of Thursday."

A woman living nearby said: "I awoke to find a police forensic tent outside my house and I was blocked in. The police sealed off a whole area around us. They were here all day. I didn't notice any unfamiliar cars parked outside the day before, but you don't really notice that sort of thing and people sometimes use the area for parking."

Another woman at the same house added: "It is the perfect place for something like that really, because it is very quiet here and you have got the park just there to get away through."

Despite the suspect still being at large, police officers are 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, and anyone with any concerns is welcome to approach one of these officers who will be happy to help.

Anyone who has any information that could help detectives bring Harshita’s killer to justice, is asked to call police on 101 quoting incident number 24000678713.

Alternatively information can be submitted via an online portal: Public Portal (mipp.police.uk) or by calling Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555111.