Body of South Asian woman recovered from car boot in London

Police have identified the woman as 24-year-old Harshita Brella.

Northamptonshire Police said the finding came about after it received a call on November 13 regarding concerns for Harshita’s welfare.

"Officers were deployed to her home address in Skegness Walk, Corby, and after getting no answer, launched a missing person investigation," the police said in a statement.

"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," the statement said.

A forensic postmortem examination established that she was murdered.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Johnny Campbell from the East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit (EMSOU), was quoted as saying in a statement: “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," Campbell said.

“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," she said.

DCI Campbell has appealed that anyone who may have information about the incident should come forward and share the data with cops.

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."