NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
MARYLAND/NEW DELHI, Aug. 28, 2026: Nearly eight months after 27-year-old Nikitha Godishala was found stabbed to death in a Maryland apartment, the man wanted in connection with her killing has been arrested in India and is facing extradition to the United States.
Arjun Sharma, who is wanted by Howard County Police on first- and second-degree murder charges, was traced to an apartment in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, and taken into custody this week.
Howard County Police confirmed Aug. 27 that the department had been notified by international authorities that Sharma was in custody in India. Police said he is expected to be extradited to the United States, although there is no timeline yet for his return.
Sharma was apprehended in Agra following an investigation by police in Telangana, where Godishala’s family had filed a separate cheating complaint alleging that he had borrowed money from her and failed to repay it.
According to Indian media reports, investigators with the Lalaguda Police Station in Hyderabad traced Sharma to a flat in Agra after obtaining a non-bailable warrant in the cheating case. They then alerted Indian central authorities because Sharma was already wanted in the United States.
Sharma was subsequently produced before a court at Patiala House in New Delhi. The court ordered him into custody, noting that the charges against him meet the requirements for extradition under the India-U.S. Extradition Treaty. Proceedings on the U.S. extradition request are underway.
Godishala, a data analyst from Secunderabad, Telangana, was living in Ellicott City, Maryland, at the time of her death.
According to Howard County Police, Sharma reported Godishala missing on Jan. 2, telling investigators that he had last seen her on Dec. 31 at his apartment in the 10100 block of Twin Rivers Road in Columbia.
Police later learned that Sharma had left the United States for India on Jan. 2, the same day he reported her missing.
Detectives executed a search warrant at Sharma’s apartment the following day and found Godishala dead with stab wounds. Investigators believe she was killed shortly after 7 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2025.
Howard County Police subsequently obtained an arrest warrant charging Sharma with first- and second-degree murder.
Police initially described Sharma as Godishala’s former boyfriend. Her father, Anand Godishala, however, has disputed that characterization, saying the two were roommates. He has also alleged that a financial dispute preceded his daughter’s killing.
According to Hyderabad police, Godishala’s father filed a cheating complaint in April alleging that Sharma had taken a substantial amount of money from his daughter and failed to return it. The resulting investigation ultimately helped authorities trace Sharma to Agra.
Indian reports said Sharma had been staying in an apartment in Agra when authorities located him. An Interpol Red Corner Notice and a U.S. extradition request had also been issued in connection with the case.
Howard County authorities have not publicly established a motive for Godishala’s killing.
The case had generated conflicting reports earlier this year that Sharma had already been arrested in India. Howard County Police said at the time that those reports could not be confirmed. Thursday’s announcement marked the department’s confirmation that Sharma is now in Indian custody.
