A murder investigation that opened after the body of a man was found in a van in Leicester has been transferred to the Metropolitan Police.

Leicestershire Police was called to a car park in Garden Street at about 17:30 BST on Wednesday by a member of the public reporting concerns about the condition of the vehicle.

The force said inquiries were being led by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, but after a search at a property in the Hounslow area of London, the Met “has now taken primacy for the investigation”.

A 39-year-old woman who was arrested on suspicion of murder remains in custody, while officers are also trying to locate the man’s next of kin.