Nikitha Godishala was found dead at Arjun Sharma’s US residence. Arjun allegedly withdrew USD 3,500 from her account before fleeing to India, where he was arrested by Interpol.
The sister of 27-year-old Telugu woman, Nikitha Godishala, who was found dead at her ex-boyfriend’s residence in the United States, has alleged that the accused carried out unauthorised financial transactions amounting to about USD 3,500 (approximately Rs 3.16 lakh) from the deceased’s bank account before fleeing the country after her death.
The accused boyfriend, Arjun Sharma, was arrested by Interpol in Tamil Nadu on Monday after returning to India. The arrest followed coordinated efforts between US federal agencies and Indian authorities to track him after his departure from the United States.
In a complaint submitted to the Indian Embassy in the US, Nikitha’s sister Saraswati detailed the transactions, stating that the money was withdrawn by Arjun in the days leading up to Nikitha’s murder, India Today reported.
Saraswati said that on December 27, Arjun sought money from both her and Nikitha. She added that Nikitha later approached her on Arjun’s behalf, requesting assistance of around USD 5,000. The victim’s sister said she refused a subsequent request from Arjun for an additional USD 1,000, noting that he had not returned USD 1,000 from the USD 4,500 he had earlier borrowed from her.
According to her complaint, Arjun owed a total of USD 4,500 (approximately Rs 4.07 lakh) to Nikitha’s family.
“I sent him USD 4,500, out of which he returned USD 3,500. I was contacted by Arjun on Jan 2nd and requested me for additional USD 1,000 to which I denied,” Saraswati stated in her complaint.
‘Accused Was Not Nikitha’s Ex-Boyfriend’: Victim’s Father
Meanwhile, the victim’s father, Anand Godisala, denied that the accused was her daughter’s ex-boyfriend, stating he was only a former roommate. “He (Arjun Sharma) is a former roommate and not her ex-boyfriend. He reportedly made the complaint (to the police in US) and fled to India. He should be caught and given tough punishment,” Anand told PTI.
The grieving father demanded strict punishment for those responsible for his daughter’s death. Seeking the Centre’s and Telangana government’s help to repatriate her remains, Anand said Nikitha last spoke to him on December 31 to wish him for New Year.
