E-Paper
Software engineer held in Agra for killing girlfriend in US
Besides the murder case, the accused was also wanted in a case of cheating registered at Lalguddi police station in Hyderabad
Prefer HTon Google
In a joint action by the CBI, Telangana police and assisted by Agra police, a software engineer was arrested from Agra on August 24, wanted in the murder case of a woman friend in the USA.
The accused software engineer, Arjun Sharma, 27, was hiding in flat no 1202, Shankar Green Apartment, within the limits of Ekta police station in Agra, which he had taken on rent. Interpol had issued a red corner notice against the accused on the run. He was arrested and presented before the Patiala House Court in Delhi.
Besides the murder case, the accused was also wanted in a case of cheating registered at Lalguddi police station in Hyderabad. The 25-year-old woman murdered was from Hyderabad while the accused was from Chennai.
According to deputy commissioner of police (DCP), city, Syed Ali Abbas, the Telangana police had sought assistance in the arrest of a man accused of murder in the USA and hiding at an apartment on rent in Agra.
“The accused will now be extradited through the CBI through Interpol to the USA where the crime took place,” said Abbas on Thursday.
According to a complaint lodged by Godishala Anand, the father of deceased woman Nikitha Godishala, the family resides in Vijayapuri colony in Lalaguda area of Secunderabad. His elder daughter Nikitha Godishala had gone to Maryland in USA in 2022 to pursue a Master’s degree and after completing studies, joined a company in the USA.
During her master’s degree course, Nikitha got acquainted with accused Arjun Sharma, a classmate and introduced him to the family. Nikitha, Arjun and other friends lived in an apartment.
In his complaint lodged at Lalaguda police station of Secunderabad on April 16 this year, Godishala Anand levelled charges of cheating for money borrowed by Arjun Sharma and his mother, Rachana Sharma, from Nikitha’s sister and other family members.
According to complaint, Arjun Sharma lost his job in August/September 2025 and unable to pay back $4,000, the accused Arjun Sharma hatched conspiracy to eliminate Nikitha and invited her to apartment in Maryland, USA, and when Nikitha initially turned down the invite, the accused made a promise to pay back the money borrowed if she visited him.
Believing the accused, Nikitha fell in conspiracy hatched by Arjun Sharma and his mother and went there on December 31, 2025 but was allegedly stabbed and inflicted injury by knife and left in the apartment, alleged the father in his complaint.
The accused Arjun Sharma travelled back to India on January 2, 2026 and created a story by filing a missing person’s complaint with reference to Nikitha to the USA police on January 1, 2026, before moving to India. He was in contact with Kirthika, the younger sister of Nikitha till 03.01.2026 but stopped communicating after landing in India.
The Maryland police (in USA) took up the investigation on the missing complaint and discovered on January 3, 2026 that Nikitha was dead with her body found in the flat of Arjun Sharma. The Maryland police issued a red corner notice on Sharma blaming him and his mother Rachana Sharma for killing Nikitha.
Arjun Sharma used Nikitha’s credit card and transferred $4000 to his own account on 01.01.2026 through Nikitha’s mobile.
The Lalaguda police registered a case under section 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 316(2) (Criminal breach of trust), 318(2) (cheating), 238 (disappearance of evidence) read with Section 3(5) (joint criminal liability) of BNS against the accused Arjun Sharma and Rachana Sharma and a search began for the absconding accused and led to his arrest.
