Interpol police have arrested a 26-year-old man in Tamil Nadu for allegedly killing his girlfriend in the United States and fleeing to India after filing a missing person complaint with local police.
The accused, Arjun Sharma, allegedly murdered his girlfriend, Nikitha Rao Godishala, 27, an Indian-American data analyst based in Maryland. After the killing, Sharma reportedly approached the Howard County Police, claiming she had gone missing after New Year’s Eve.
Investigators later discovered that Sharma boarded a flight to India on the same day he filed the missing complaint. After obtaining a search warrant for Sharma’s residence on Twin Rivers Road in Columbia, Maryland, police found Godishala’s body inside the apartment.
According to the police, the victim had sustained multiple stab wounds. Following the recovery of the body, the Howard County Police secured arrest warrants against Sharma on charges of first- and second-degree murder. The motive behind the crime remains unknown.
Godishala, who lived in Ellicott City, Maryland, had been working as a Data and Strategy Analyst at Vheda Health since February last year. Reports said she had been living independently.
Sharma was arrested in Tamil Nadu after US federal agencies contacted Indian authorities to track him down following his escape from the country. He is expected to be extradited to the United States, and the process is currently underway.
The Indian Embassy in the US has responded to the incident, stating that it is in touch with Godishala’s family and is extending consular assistance.
“The Embassy is in contact with the family of Ms Nikitha Godishala and is extending all possible consular assistance. The Embassy is also following up on the matter with the local authorities,” it said.
