Family members of Nikitha Godishala, who was found murdered in an apartment in the United States, have clarified that the main accused, Arjun Sharma, has not been arrested in India.
In a joint statement, the family said that reports claiming Arjun’s arrest are false.
“After directly speaking with US law enforcement agencies and police officials in the state of Maryland, we can confirm that the news about the arrest of the suspect is baseless,” the statement said.
The family added that they are in constant coordination with the Indian Embassy in the United States, consular officials, and concerned Indian government authorities.
“The process of bringing our daughter’s mortal remains back to India is currently underway,” they said.
Speaking to the media, Nikitha’s father, Anand Godishala, said that US officials informed them it would take another three to four days to repatriate her body.
“We sincerely request all concerned authorities to speed up the process and bring Nikitha back home at the earliest,” he said.
Nikitha was earlier reported missing by Arjun Sharma, who is also the prime suspect in the case. After filing the missing complaint, Arjun allegedly fled the United States and returned to India.
Howard County police later found Nikitha’s body with multiple stab wounds inside Arjun’s apartment in Columbia, Maryland, and issued an arrest warrant against him.
Meanwhile, BJP state president N. Ramchander Rao visited Nikitha’s family to offer condolences.
He also wrote to Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, requesting his intervention to expedite the repatriation process and to initiate appropriate action against Arjun Sharma.