Washington–A young Indian healthcare professional was found stabbed to death inside an apartment in the US state of Maryland, police said, as authorities launched an international search for her ex-boyfriend, who allegedly fled to India hours after reporting her missing.
Howard County Police said on Sunday that Nikitha Godishala, 27, a resident of Ellicott City, was discovered dead on January 3 inside an apartment in Columbia belonging to her former partner, Arjun Sharma, 26. Sharma, also an Indian national, is now wanted on charges of first- and second-degree murder, and US authorities are coordinating with federal agencies to locate and apprehend him after confirming that he left the country for India.
According to police, Sharma reported Godishala missing on January 2, claiming he had last seen her on December 31 at his apartment located in the 10100 block of Twin Rivers Road. Investigators later determined that Sharma departed the United States for India later that same day.
Detectives executed a search warrant at the apartment on January 3, where they found Godishala’s body bearing stab wounds. Police believe she was killed shortly after 7 p.m. on December 31, New Year’s Eve. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not yet identified a motive, police said in a media release.
An arrest warrant has since been issued charging Sharma with both first- and second-degree murder. Howard County Police said it is working closely with US federal law enforcement agencies as efforts continue to trace and arrest the suspect.
Godishala was a highly qualified healthcare and data analytics professional, according to her LinkedIn profile. Her background spanned pharmacy, clinical research, health information technology and data management, with a strong focus on using data-driven insights to improve healthcare systems and patient outcomes.
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 India. Her professional skills included data analytics, healthcare regulatory compliance, and tools such as SQL, Tableau, Power BI and Python.
Under US law, first-degree murder involves premeditation, while second-degree murder applies to intentional killings without evidence of prior planning.
The case could involve international legal processes, as the United States and India have an extradition treaty that allows cooperation in serious criminal matters. Such proceedings, however, typically involve court scrutiny and diplomatic coordination and can take several months. (Source: IANS)
