Indian Woman Found Dead In US, Killer Ex-Boyfriend Arrested In Agra Eight Months Later

Nearly eight months after Indian woman Nikitha Rao Godishala was found stabbed to death in Maryland in the United States, the man wanted in connection with her killing has been traced and taken into custody in Agra, police said. Arjun Sharma, who was wanted by US authorities in the case, was located in a flat in the Uttar Pradesh city during an investigation into a separate cheating complaint filed by Godishala's father. Godishala, 27, was found dead with stab wounds inside an apartment in Columbia, Maryland, on January 2, 2026, after she had been reported missing. US authorities said Sharma had filed the missing-person report and claimed he had last seen her on December 31.

Investigators later determined that Sharma had left the United States for India, and a warrant was issued against him on first- and second-degree murder charges. The case took a new turn in India after Hyderabad police began investigating a cheating complaint lodged by Godishala's father, Anand Godishala. Police said the complaint alleged that Sharma had taken money from the family and failed to return it. During that investigation, officers from Lalaguda Police Station obtained information that helped them trace Sharma to an apartment in Agra, where he was subsequently taken into custody. Sharma was later produced before the Patiala House Court in New Delhi, which deals with extradition matters.

The court ordered that he remain in custody as authorities proceed with the case. The United States has sought his return under the India-US Extradition Treaty, and the extradition process is now underway. Howard County police have confirmed that Sharma is in Indian custody and said they expect him to be extradited to the US, although no specific timeline has been given. There is, however, a dispute over how Sharma's relationship with Godishala should be described. US police have referred to Sharma as her ex-boyfriend, but her father has rejected that characterization, saying Sharma was her former flatmate. He told the media that four people had previously shared the apartment and that Godishala moved to a separate residence after beginning her employment.

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Her father has also said he believed the killing was connected to financial disagreements between the two. Godishala had moved to the US in 2021 for higher studies and later worked as a data and strategy analyst in Maryland. She had completed a pharmacy course at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Hyderabad before pursuing a master's degree in Health Information Technology at the University of Maryland. Her family had sought government assistance after her death and urged authorities to help locate Sharma after he fled the US. According to Howard County police, detectives believe Godishala was killed shortly after 7 pm on December 31, 2025. Authorities said Sharma left the country on the same day he reported her missing. The US investigation subsequently led to murder charges and an arrest warrant, while Indian authorities began efforts to locate him after learning that he had fled to India.

The arrest in Agra represents a major development in a case that has involved law-enforcement agencies in both countries. Hyderabad police said their own cheating investigation helped establish Sharma's whereabouts, after which relevant central authorities were informed because of the US murder case and the pending warrant. The Delhi court's involvement has now opened the way for the extradition proceedings to move forward. For Godishala's family, Sharma's detention provides a significant breakthrough after months of uncertainty. However, the full circumstances surrounding her death, including the alleged motive and the events leading up to the stabbing, will ultimately be addressed through the US criminal proceedings. Sharma remains an accused in the case, and the allegations against him have yet to be adjudicated by a US court.

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