NEW DELHI: An Indian woman who went missing on New Year’s Eve was found dead with stab wounds inside her boyfriend’s apartment in the US state of Maryland, police said.
In a post on X, Howard County Police said officers located the woman, reported missing on January 2, deceased inside an apartment in Columbia. Police have obtained an arrest warrant for her ex-boyfriend on first- and second-degree murder charges.
The victim was identified as Nikita Godishala, a 27-year-old data and strategy analyst at Vheda Health in Columbia.
According to investigators, a search was launched after her ex-boyfriend, Arjun Sharma, filed a missing persons report on January 2. Police later discovered Godishala’s body in Sharma’s apartment and secured a warrant for his arrest.
Authorities said Sharma fled to India on the same day he reported her missing. Detectives believe Godishala was killed shortly after 7 pm on December 31. The investigation is ongoing and no motive has been established so far.
Police said they are working with United States federal law enforcement to locate and arrest Sharma. The Indian Embassy in the United States said it is in touch with Godishala’s family, extending consular assistance and coordinating with local authorities.
India and the US have an extradition treaty that enables cooperation in serious criminal cases, though the process typically involves judicial review and diplomatic coordination and can take several months.
