‘I am the King. You have to follow my rules’: How Harshita Brella was beaten, abused and murdered by her arranged-marriage husband – and why he’s still free… as her family reveal chilling phone call
Harshita Brella, a 24-year-old teacher from Delhi, moved to England two years ago after an arranged marriage to Pankaj Lamba, settling with him in Corby, Northamptonshire. Her family have spoken publicly about the abuse she suffered and the chilling phone call in which she fled their home in the middle of the night, having been beaten, before she was later found dead in the boot of a car in east London. The case has drawn attention not only for the brutality of the killing but also because her husband, the chief suspect, remains free, prompting the family to demand justice.
Harshita's father, Satbir Singh, recalled receiving a distressed call from his daughter at 5.30am on 20 August 2024 (just after midnight in the UK), during which she was sobbing and running through the streets after allegedly being assaulted by Lamba. He urged her to keep running and to call the police, but admits he felt helpless from thousands of miles away. Her sister, Sonia Dabas, described Harshita as a gentle, conflict-averse young woman who had dreamed of building a new life in England. Her body was subsequently discovered in a silver Vauxhall Corsa, and her family say this was the first time they fully understood the extent of the abuse she had been enduring in silence.
- Harshita Brella, 24, was murdered after fleeing an abusive arranged marriage.
- Her father recalls a harrowing phone call as she ran for help.
- Her body was found in a car boot; her alleged killer remains free.
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Harshita Brella was a 24-year-old teacher from Delhi who moved to England two years ago after an arranged marriage to Pankaj Lamba, and the couple settled in Corby, Northamptonshire. In August 2024 she died, and her body was later found in the boot of a car in east London. Her family, including her father Satbir Singh and sister Sonia Dabas, have since spoken publicly about the abuse she is reported to have suffered during the marriage.
The case has drawn wider attention partly because of the circumstances of her death and partly because Lamba, identified as the chief suspect, has not been arrested or charged and his whereabouts have been the subject of public appeals. This has led Harshita's family to call for action from the authorities. The case sits within broader concerns in the UK about domestic abuse linked to arranged and transnational marriages, and about how effectively warning signs are picked up before such cases turn fatal.