An international hunt is under way for the husband of a woman who police believe was murdered and whose body was found in the boot of a car in east London.

On Sunday Northamptonshire police named Pankaj Lamba as the prime suspect in the murder of 24-year-old Harshita Brella of Corby.

Ch Insp Paul Cash told a press conference in Kettering: “Inquiries lead us to suspect that Harshita was murdered in Northamptonshire earlier this month by her husband, Pankaj Lamba.

“We suspect Lamba transported Harshita’s body from Northamptonshire to Ilford by car. We believe he has now fled the country.”

A murder investigation was launched by Northamptonshire police after Brella’s body was found inside the boot of a vehicle on Brisbane Road, Ilford, in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Lamba is now being sought in connection with the murder investigation but officers fear he has already left the UK.

Cash said: “I urge anyone listening to or reading this statement, that 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.”

He added: “Anyone who has any information that could help detectives bring Harshita’s killer to justice can contact the incident room by calling 101, quoting incident number Operation Westcott.”

DCI Johnny Campbell from the East Midlands special operations major crime unit said on Sunday that detectives from his unit and Northamptonshire police were “working around the clock” to establish the circumstances of Brella’s death, including the exact location and timeframe in which it took place.

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.

Northamptonshire police have also made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct because of previous contact between the force and Brella, who lived in Skegness Walk, Corby.

They gave no details about the previous contact.