- Nikitha Godishala was killed in Maryland on New Year's Eve, stabbed by her ex-roommate, Arjun Sharma
- Her father claims the motive was financial, not romantic, involving money Sharma owed her
- Sharma allegedly fled to India after the murder; police have issued a warrant for his arrest
The father of the Telugu woman, Nikitha Godishala, who was allegedly killed by her ex-boyfriend in the United States, has alleged that the accused killed his daughter over a monetary dispute. Nikitha Godishala (27) was killed in Howard County in Columbia, Maryland, on New Year's Eve, and cops believe her former boyfriend, Arjun Sharma, stabbed her, reported her missing, and then fled to India.
Nikitha's father, Anand Godishala, spoke to the media in Hyderabad about his daughter's death amid conflicting reports on the killer's whereabouts and his motives.
Suspect Was Ex-Roommate
Anand Godishala denied that the 26-year-old suspect was his daughter's ex-boyfriend and said he was her roommate earlier, along with two others.
"My daughter went to Columbia four years ago. She was working there. He was her ex-roommate. It is not right that he was her ex-boyfriend," he said, according to news agency PTI.
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Killed Over Money
According to the woman's father, the motive behind her killing was financial and not any dispute in a romantic relationship.
"Four people used to stay in an apartment. Her ex-roommate used to take a lot of money from my daughter," he said
"When she asked him to return the money before he flew to India, he killed her and ran away. I request the state and the central government to hand over the body of my daughter as soon as possible," Anand added, calling for tough punishment for the person responsible for his daughter's death.
Citing media reports, Anand said his daughter came to know that Sharma had taken loans from many people and was planning to leave for India.
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Asked if he spoke to Nikitha's friends about any financial disputes as the reason for the alleged killing, he said he is not aware of it.
According to her father, Nikitha last called on the night of December 31 night and wished him on the occasion of the New Year.
Nikitha's cousin, Saraswati Godishala, has also reportedly filed a complaint with the Indian Embassy in the US detailing the amount of money which was taken by Arjun in the days leading up to the murder. Media reports claim that Arjun had borrowed USD 4,500 (Rs 4.07 lakh) in the days leading to her murder. He had returned USD 3,500, but again requested USD 1,000, which was denied.
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About Nikitha Godishala
Nikitha Godishala, an Indian-origin data analyst based in Maryland, was reported missing on January 2. Howard County police had said that she was found dead with stab wounds in the Columbia, Maryland, apartment of her ex-boyfriend, Arjun Sharma, 26.
The US police have obtained a warrant for Sharma's arrest on first- and second-degree murder charges, alleging that he killed her and fled to India.
Police previously said the killing was premeditated, and the suspect will face first- and second-degree murder charges once extradited to the United States.
Multiple media outlets reported that Sharma was arrested in Tamil Nadu on Monday. However, sources told NDTV that the person who was detained was not Sharma but looked like him. He was later released.
