A young Indian healthcare professional Nikitha Godishala was found stabbed to death inside an apartment in Maryland, United States, police said. Authorities launched an international search for her ex-boyfriend, who left the country for India hours after reporting her missing.
Howard County police said on Sunday, January 4, that Nikitha Godishala, 27, of Ellicott City, was found deceased on January 3 inside an apartment in Columbia belonging to her former partner, Arjun Sharma, 26. Sharma, also from India, is now wanted on first- and second-degree murder charges, and US authorities are working with federal agencies to trace and arrest him after confirming he flew to India.
According to Howard County Police, Arjun reported Nikitha missing on January 2 and told police he had last seen her on December 31 at his apartment in the 10100 block of Twin Rivers Road, Columbia, Maryland. Authorities later determined that Arjun departed the United States for India later that same day, according to an official release.
Howard County Police said its detectives executed a search warrant at the apartment on January 3, where they discovered Nikitha’s body with stab wounds. Police believe she was killed shortly after 7 pm on December 31, New Year’s Eve. Investigators said the inquiry remains ongoing and that no motive has been identified so far, a media release said.
Howard County police said an arrest warrant has been issued following the discovery, charging Arjun with both first- and second-degree murder. In a statement, the department said it is coordinating with US federal law enforcement agencies as efforts continue to locate and apprehend the suspect.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Nikitha was a healthcare and data analytics professional, with a background spanning pharmacy, clinical research, health information technology and data management.
She held a master’s degree in Health Information Technology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Hyderabad, India. Her skills included data analytics, dashboard development, healthcare regulations such as HIPAA, and tools such as SQL, Tableau, Power BI and Python.
As per American law, first-degree murder involves premeditation, while second-degree murder applies to intentional killings without prior planning.
Notably, the United States and India have an extradition treaty that allows cooperation in serious criminal cases, though such proceedings usually involve court reviews and diplomatic coordination, often extending over months.