"Please help us find Nikitha" - a post surfaced on Facebook last week, calling for help to find a 27-year-old Indian woman who went missing on New Year's Eve in the United States. "Her friends have already filed a police report, but we need more eyes on the ground. If you live in or around the Columbia area, please keep a lookout," the social media post read.
On January 2, Arjun Sharma, Nikitha Godishala's ex-boyfriend, also filed a missing person's complaint, stating he last saw her on December 31 in his apartment in the 10100 block of Twin Rivers Road.
The very next day, the Howard County police found Godishala's body with stab wounds at Sharma's house. By then, Sharma had fled to India.
Detectives believe 26-year-old Sharma killed Godishala shortly after 7 pm on December 31.
No Murder Motive, But There Were Red Flags
Sharma called 911 to report his ex-girlfriend, Nikitha Godishala of Ellicott City, is missing. Police believe that he then headed to the Dulles International Airport and boarded a plane bound for India.
"There was obviously some premeditation to be able to do this and then to flee the country, so that's what we have right now as far as charges," Howard County police spokesman Seth Hoffman told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren.
On Saturday, Howard County police searched Sharma's apartment and found Godishala dead with stab wounds.
Hoffman was unsure whether the police were able to recover the murder weapon.
There were no calls to service or other prior complaints at the apartment, Hoffmain said, as reported by CBS News.
"We are unaware of any previous calls for service or incidents involving the two of them," Hoffman said. "We do believe it wasn't uncommon that they would still meet each other and have communication after their relationship ended, but we don't have a motive right now as to why he would kill her."
Hoffman added that information from friends and family "raised some red flags" and propelled the investigation towards the "instance of foul play being involved."
Hunt On For Arjun Sharma
Howard County police have obtained an arrest warrant based on first and second-degree murder charges. The cops said they are working with the United States federal law enforcement to locate Sharma. Interpol is expected to issue a red notice, an international arrest warrant.
"From there, that goes out to all the countries that work with Interpol, which is close to 200 countries, including India, so that will give Indian authorities information. They will begin to track him and hopefully arrest him. From there, it could take quite a bit of time to process and hopefully get him extradited," Hoffman said, as quoted by CBS News.
Indian Embassy Extends Assistance
After the incident was reported on Sunday, the Indian Embassy in the US took to social media and assured support to Godishala's family.
"The Embassy is in contact with the family of Ms Nikitha Godishala and is extending all possible consular assistance. The Embassy is also following up the matter with the local authorities," the Indian Embassy wrote on X.
The Embassy is in contact with the family of Ms. Nikitha Godishala and is extending all possible consular assistance. The Embassy is also following up the matter with the local authorities. @MEAIndia
— India in USA (@IndianEmbassyUS) January 4, 2026
Who Was Nikitha Godishala
Godishala was a Data and Strategy Analyst at Vheda Health in Columbia, Maryland. She joined the firm in February 2025, and in less than a year, she received the "All-In Award" for her performance.
Before joining Vheda Health, Godishala was employed at the Management Sciences for Health for over a year, as a Data Analysis and Visualisation Specialist (Technical Advisor).
And prior to that, between June 2022 and May 2023, Godishala was at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
In India, Godishala worked at Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) Hospitals as a Clinical Pharmacist intern for a year and a half and then Clinical Data Specialist for two years.
Godishala studied pharmacy at the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University from June 2015 to September 2021 and then moved to the US for a master's in health information technology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Godishala knew three languages - English, Hindi and Telugu - and was "driven by a passion for leveraging data-driven insights to optimise healthcare systems and improve patient outcomes."
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