‘Is everything okay, beta?’: How an unread WhatsApp text in London ended in tragedy for Delhi family

It was highly dissimilar his younger daughter, nicknamed Sweety, who spoke to her household regular since moving to London connected April 30, aft her matrimony to Pankaj Lamba, 23. After a 40-minute video telephone connected November 10 — portion she was making pakoras, palak puri and aloo sabzi astatine her London location — Harshita seemed to person gone missing.

On November 11, WiFi calls to her fig failed to connect. On November 12, Satbir’s calls to Pankaj went unanswered. On November 13, erstwhile his substance to Harshita went unanswered and helium got nary assistance to interaction her from Pankaj’s NCR-based family, Satbir turned to a distant acquaintance based successful Manchester successful the UK.

On November 14, the acquaintance, who hardly spoke English, walked to the nearest constabulary presumption and, arsenic luck would person it, bumped into a Sikh bull who helped him.

On November 15, Satbir yet had his answer.

Harshita Brella’s begetter Satbir and elder sister Sonia Dabas astatine their Delhi home. (Photo: Farhan Sayeed Masoodi)

Fumbling with his words and wiping his tears, helium told The Indian Express, “At 11.30 americium (on November 15), I got a telephone from a Delhi Police serviceman who said my girl had been murdered. He asked maine immoderate questions for verification and disconnected the call.”

A time earlier, connected November 14, Harshita’s assemblage had been found successful the footwear of her husband’s car astatine Brisbane Road successful East London. A post-mortem introspection astatine the Leicester Royal Infirmary connected November 15 listed strangulation arsenic the preliminary origin of death. The UK Police person since launched a manhunt for Pankaj, who they fishy fled the state aft murdering his wife.

At the two-storey Brella location successful Palam Colony’s Sadh Nagar successful New Delhi, surrounded by relatives and locals, Satbir and his elder girl Sonia Dabas wept arsenic they spoke to The Indian Express. Outside the drafting room, Satbir’s woman Sudesh Kumari laic covered from caput to toed connected a charpoy. “Only a parent knows the symptom of losing a daughter. I conscionable privation 2 things present — that her murderer should beryllium hanged and her assemblage should beryllium brought home,” says Sudesh.

Sonia says each was not good with Harshita’s joined beingness successful London. Harshita, who had completed her graduation from Delhi University’s Sri Venkateswara College and her BEd from Maharshi Dayanand University, was sent Pankaj’s matrimony connection done a matrimonial broker. “She wanted to instrumentality her clip to get married. Since Pankaj lived abroad, we thought it was a bully match,” says Satbir.

The mates had a tribunal matrimony successful August 2023 to commencement her visa proceedings. Pankaj went to the UK successful October 2023, portion she stayed back. On March 22 this year, they had a wedding successful New Delhi and the mates near for London connected April 30. In London, Harshita instantly got a occupation successful the medication section of a firm, says Satbir.

On August 29, a alien allegedly spotted a battered Harshita fleeing the location arsenic Pankaj chased her connected the street. Reports successful UK-based newspapers notation that a home unit ailment was filed against Pankaj and Harshita was fixed constabulary protection. Confirming this, her household says they had asked her to instrumentality to Delhi. “But she told america she had to enactment determination to spot the ailment through,” Satbir says.

Sonia says they besides discovered Pankaj “was not a institution worker but a information defender successful the UK”.

She says, “After the home unit complaint, helium mislaid that occupation too. He had to enactment arsenic a transportation lad to marque ends meet. Harshita was highly scared, contempt the constabulary extortion and surviving separately from Pankaj owed to the ongoing case. She would video telephone our parent adjacent erstwhile she went to the bathroom.”

A tearful Sonia says Pankaj had reached retired to Harshita contempt the case. “They were talking to each other. That time (on November 10), during the call, she told america she was waiting for Pankaj’s accomplishment (at 9 p.m. London time). She was making meal for them (during the video call). When our calls did not get connected the adjacent day, we recovered it antithetic but assumed she was engaged astatine work. We started panicking erstwhile we could not scope her adjacent connected November 12,” says Sonia.

She alleges that Pankaj had been readying to termination her sister since helium had borrowed astir Rs 4 lakh from her and besides kept way of her finances. “He ne'er gave her a azygous lb (to walk successful the UK). He gave her a paper but helium would badger her with questions if she ever swiped it. Out of fear, she ne'er utilized it to adjacent bargain a burger. Pankaj besides had a occupation with Harshita talking to me,” Sonia claims.

Accusing Pankaj’s household of demanding wealth successful mid-September, contempt Harshita’s home unit complaint, Satbir says helium suspects their engagement successful his daughter’s murder. “I americium definite they are alert of what Pankaj did to my daughter. We deliberation Pankaj near London connected November 12 and reached India via Mumbai. Forget everything, they person not reached retired to america oregon travel home,” an aggravated Satbir alleges.

The Indian Express reached retired to Pankaj’s family, including his sister Uma and uncle Satender. His telephone was answered by a woman, who did not place herself. When asked astir Pankaj’s whereabouts, earlier disconnecting the call, she said she did not cognize thing astir the case.

Satbir has present fixed a written ailment to the section constabulary station, informing them astir Harshita’s death. The Delhi Police confirmed receiving the complaint.

Demanding justness for her sister’s death, a devastated Sonia adds, “Harshita was highly excited astir her caller beingness — much so, due to the fact that her day is connected Christmas and London is highly beauteous during Christmas.”