Hyderabad man rejects ‘ex-boyfriend’ claim in US murder of his daughter

The father of Nikitha Godishala, the 27-year-old woman from Secunderabad found murdered in the United States, has firmly rejected police references describing the accused as her “ex-boyfriend”, asserting instead that the man was only a former flatmate and that the two were embroiled in a financial dispute.

Nikitha’s father, Anand Godishala said that his daughter had moved to the US in 2021 for higher education and later began working there. “It is not right to call the accused her ex-boyfriend. He was her ex-flatmate. Four people lived in that apartment earlier. After she started working two years ago, she moved to a separate flat,” he said, adding that disagreements over money may have triggered the crime.

Nikitha was found dead on January 3 in an apartment belonging to Arjun Sharma in Ellicott City, Maryland. According to local police, Sharma allegedly killed her on New Year’s Eve, reported her missing on January 2, and fled to India the same day.

A data analyst by profession, Nikitha was working in Ellicott City at the time of her death. She had earlier completed a pharmacy course at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, before pursuing a Master’s in Health Information Technology at the University of Maryland.

While Maryland police have said the motive for the murder is still under investigation, Anand Godishala claimed Sharma had borrowed money from his daughter. “He had a habit of borrowing money, and he borrowed from my daughter as well. When she asked him to return it, I believe he called her to his flat, attacked her there, and fled,” he alleged.

Visibly distressed, he appealed to authorities for help. “I request the Centre and the state governments to assist us in bringing my daughter’s body back as soon as possible,” he said. Nikitha’s elder sister, Saraswati, also resides in the US.

In an official statement, Howard County Police said Sharma, 26, reported Nikitha missing and claimed he last saw her at his apartment on December 31. Investigators later discovered that Sharma had left the country for India on January 2, the same day he filed the missing person report. A search of his apartment the following day led to the recovery of Nikitha’s body.

“Detectives believe Sharma killed Godishala shortly after 7 pm on December 31. The investigation is ongoing, and no motive is known at this time,” the statement said, adding that US federal agencies are working to locate and arrest the suspect.