The murder of 27-year-old Indian woman Nikitha Godishala, who was earlier reported missing on New Year’s Eve, has turned murkier after her ex-boyfriend Arjun Sharma was charged with first- and second-degree murder days after her death in the US state of Maryland on Saturday (January 3).
Now, shocking allegations have surfaced in the case after the woman’s cousin and father claimed that Arjun used to borrow money from several people and could have killed Hyderabad-native Nikitha when she demanded that he return the borrowed money.
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What are the allegations?
Saraswati Godishala, who is Nikitha’s cousin, said she had lent some money to Arjun on December 27.
In a representation to the Indian Embassy in the US, she said, “I sent him $4,500, out of which he returned $3,500. He contacted me again on January 2 and requested an additional $1,000, which I denied.”
Saraswati said Nikitha had been following up with Arjun for the remaining $1,000 on December 31, as mentioned in an earlier HT report.
{{/usCountry}}Saraswati said Nikitha had been following up with Arjun for the remaining $1,000 on December 31, as mentioned in an earlier HT report.
{{/usCountry}}In her statement, she also alleged that Sharma made unauthorised transactions worth about $3,500 from Nikitha’s bank account before leaving the US under the pretext of a hand injury and the need for urgent medical treatment.
Police believe Sharma killed Nikitha shortly after 7 pm on December 31.
The financial angle claim has also been backed by Nikitha’s father, Anand Godishala, who said that Arjun used to borrow money from many people, including his daughter.
“Arjun Sharma used to borrow money from several people, including my daughter. He might have killed her when she went to his flat to demand that he return her money,” he told reporters at his residence in Secunderabad.
Anand said that he last spoke to his daughter over the phone on New Year’s Eve.
Who was Nikitha Godishala?
Nikitha’s body was found while police were following up on a missing persons complaint that had been filed by Sharma himself on January 2. The Indian Embassy said it is in contact with Nikitha Godishala’s family.
She was from Hyderabad and moved to the United States in 2021 for her studies. She continued to live and work there after completing her post-graduation.
According to details provided by her family, she studied pharmacy at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University from June 2015 to September 2021. During this period, she worked at Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences Hospitals in Secunderabad, first as a clinical pharmacist intern for around one and a half years, and later as a clinical data specialist for two years.
She then went to the US to pursue a master’s degree in health information technology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. In February 2025, she joined Vheda Health in Columbia as a data and strategy analyst.
(With inputs from HT correspondent)