Harshita Brela, just 24 years old—a girl from Delhi, India, who had migrated with her husband to the UK with a dream. In November 2024, the UK police recovered her dead body from the boot of a car in East London.
Such a tragic end befell the young woman’s life within just a few months of marriage. The initial assumption of the police is that she was strangled to death by her husband, Pankaj Lamba.
Life from arranged marriage to hell
A legal marriage in August 2023, then a traditional Indian arrangement in March 2024. Everything seemed to be going well. The newlyweds moved to the UK in April, and a new life began.
But within a short time, the veil of marriage began to crack. Harshita’s life became unbearable due to Pankaj’s physical and mental abuse.
At one point, she complained to the police about domestic abuse. Eventually, she took refuge in a women’s shelter under the supervision of the police.
Order Expired; Husband Allegedly Killed Her
Last September, a ‘Domestic Violence Protection Order’ was issued against Pankaj, in which he was ordered not to harass or threaten Harshita. But that order expired on October 1—and then terrible consequences began to happen.
On the night of November 10, Harshita told her family over the phone that she was waiting for her husband after cooking dinner. Then her phone went dead.
Three days later, on November 13, the worried family contacted Northamptonshire Police. The next day, Harshita’s body was found in London—folded into a boot.
‘Innocent as a child’ – Sister’s memoirs
Harshita’s elder sister, Sonia Dabas, said, “She was as simple as a child. She thought that if she was good, everyone would treat her well.” Harshita, who was academically talented, started teaching after completing her Hindi honors degree from Delhi University.
Later, she agreed to get married due to family pressure. But this relationship turned out to be the biggest mistake of her life.
Inhuman torture and financial oppression
The family said that Pankaj regularly physically abused Harshita. Once, he chased her on the street and beat her up. At that time, Harshita survived with the help of a colleague.
Later, she had an abortion. Pankaj used to take money from her on various pretexts and even made her work overtime and forced her to do housework.
Allegations of planned murder and fight for justice
Harshita’s family believes it was a premeditated murder and Pankaj’s family helped her escape the law. “They never attended the funeral, nor did they even contact her after learning about her death. Both Harshita and Pankaj were missing, yet their families did not file a missing person report with the police station—why?” asked Harshita’s father, Satbir Singh, angrily.
On March 18, 2025, based on the family’s complaint, Indian police arrested Pankaj’s parents. A case was filed against them under the “Death by Denial” Act for cruelty to Harshita and being responsible for her death.
Currently, cases are being filed in both India and the UK, and an international investigation is underway against the accused Pankaj.
Watch the video here:
@crimeaffair Part 282 | How an Arranged Marriage Turned Deadly | Love Turned Tragic #truecrime #truestory #us #UK #britain
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