Police referred to watchdog after woman 'attacked by someone she knew'

Detectives investigating the death of a woman have referred themselves to the police watchdog and said she was 'attacked by someone known to her'. A murder probe was launched after the body of Harshita Brella, 24, was found in a car in Ilford.

The finding came about after Northamptonshire Police received a call on Wednesday (November 13) regarding concerns for her welfare. Officers were sent to her home in Skegness Walk, Corby, and a missing person probe was launched.

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, Ilford, in the early hours of Thursday (November 14). A forensic post-mortem on Friday established Ms Brella had been murdered.

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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. The force gave no further details about the previous contact.

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."

He added: "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."

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.

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.