Detectives fear a young woman found in the boot of a car in London, 100 miles from her home, may have been murdered by someone she knew.

Harshita Brella, 24, was discovered on Brisbane Road, Ilford after Northamptonshire Police he found his home in the small town of Corby, Northamptonshire empty

Responding to appeals for her welfare, officers got no response at her home in Skegness Walk and immediately launched a rapid search for her.

That hunt led them to an empty car in east London, where they discovered Ms Brella’s body inside the boot – some 95.7 miles away from her home.

An autopsy at Leicester Royal Infirmary determined that Harshita had been murdered.

Northamptonshire Police approached the Independent Office for Policing Conduct (IOPC) after they said officers had previous contact with Ms Bella before she was killed.

DCI Johnny Campbell said: “Firstly, I want to express my sincere condolences to everyone who loved Harshita Brella.

“She was a young woman in her 20s with her whole life ahead of her and it is absolutely tragic that her life was cut short in this way.

“Detectives are working around the clock to establish the circumstances behind her death, including the exact location and time frame in which it occurred.”

DCI Campbell is appealing for anyone who may have information about this incident to come forward.

He added: “While we believe Harshita was attacked by someone she knew, we are keeping an open mind and are appealing to anyone who knew her to contact us with any relevant information they may have.

“If you have seen anything suspicious in the last week or have any information, however small, please contact us. We would always rather receive well-intentioned information that turns out to be nothing than not receive it at all.”

Anyone with 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 confidentially on 0800 555111.