The father of Hyderabad-born Nikitha Godishala, who was found dead in the US earlier this month, has clarified that the prime accused was not her former boyfriend, but her ex-roommate. The victim’s father demanded strict punishment for those responsible for his daughter’s death and urged the Centre and the Telangana government to help bring back her body soon.
In an interview with Aaj Tak, India Today’s sister channel, Anand Godishala said four roomates, including his daughter, were staying together in an apartment in the US. He alleged that the accused, Arjun Sharma, who was arrested in Tamil Nadu after fleeing the US, had taken large sums of money from Nikitha.
“Four people used to stay in the apartment. Her ex-roommate used to take a lot of money from my daughter,” Anand 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,” he said.
“He (Arjun Sharma) is a former roommate and not her ex-boyfriend. He made the complaint (to the police in the US) and fled to India. He should be caught and given tough punishment,” he further said.
According to Anand, Nikitha last spoke to him on the night of December 31 and wished him on the occasion of the New Year. “She wished me Happy New Year. That was the last time I spoke to her,” he said.
On January 2, Nikitha was reported missing on January 2 after Arjun approached the Howard County Police, claiming he had last seen her on New Year’s Eve. She was subsequently found dead at Arjun’s apartment.
The US police have obtained a warrant for Sharma’s arrest on charges of first and second-degree murder, alleging that he killed Nikitha and fled to India.
Nikitha, 27, the elder daughter of Anand, had been living in the US for the past four years and was working there. She last visited India three years ago, Anand said.
According to her family, the victim had been working as a Data and Strategy Analyst at Vheda Health in Maryland after completing her MS in the US. She had won the Best Employee award last month.
Police said the 26-year-old Arjun left for India on the same day he filed the missing complaint, raising suspicion and alerting authorities, which eventually led to his arrest in Tamil Nadu.
Nikitha’s family learnt about her death from her cousin, who also lives in the US.
According to Nikitha’s sister, Saraswati, Arjun made unauthorised financial transactions worth about USD 3,500 (Rs 3.16 lakh) from the victim’s bank account before fleeing the US.
– Ends
(with inputs from PTI)
Published By:
Prateek Chakraborty
Published On:
Jan 6, 2026
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