Woman found dead in boot of car in Ilford is named by police

Police investigating the death of a woman found dead in Ilford have named the victim as 24-year-old Harshita Brella. A murder investigation has been launched after the body of a woman, who police have now named as Harshita, was found in a car.

The discovery came after Northamptonshire Police received a call on Wednesday, November 13, regarding concerns for Harshita’s welfare. Officers attended her home address in Skegness Walk, Corby, and after getting no answer, launched a missing person investigation.

Enquiries led police to the discovery of a woman’s body inside the boot of a vehicle in Brisbane Road in the Ilford area, 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, Northamptonshire Police said.

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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.”

Police said they 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.

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.