New Delhi: The body of a 27-year-old Indian national, Nikita Godishala, was found inside an apartment in Columbia, Maryland, on January 3. US authorities said the apartment belonged to her associate Arjun Sharma, who has been accused of murder.
Investigators believe Nikita was killed around 7 pm on December 31. Her body was recovered during a police search of the same apartment three days later.
According to officials, 26-year-old Sharma reported Nikita missing on January 2 and claimed he had last seen her on the evening before New Year’s Eve. However, investigators later found that soon after filing the missing person report, Sharma boarded a flight from Dulles International Airport to India, raising suspicion.
On January 5, Sharma was arrested in Tamil Nadu following a coordinated operation involving Interpol, US federal agencies and Indian authorities. Detectives from Howard County have charged him with first-degree and second-degree murder and have initiated extradition proceedings to bring him back to the United States.
Nikita’s sister Saraswati alleged that before fleeing the US, Sharma made unauthorised transactions of about $3,500 from Nikita’s bank account. She also claimed he had been demanding money from both sisters for several days. According to the complaint, Sharma had borrowed $4,500 from the family but returned only $3,500.
While US authorities have described Sharma as Nikita’s former boyfriend, her father Anand Godishala rejected the claim, saying he was only her former roommate. The family has demanded strict punishment for the accused.
Nikita Godishala was working as a data analyst at Veda Health in Maryland. Her family has appealed to the Government of India and the Telangana government for assistance in bringing her mortal remains back to India.
