More details related to the murder of Telegu student Nikitha Godishala in the US have emerged, with the victim’s relatives claiming Arjun Sharma, the accused, committed unauthorised transactions worth Rs 4 lakh from Nikitha’s account. The US detectives believe Sharma killed Nikitha on the eve of the New Year.
Though there were earlier reports that Sharma was in a relationship with Nikitha, her father, Anand Godishala, denied the claims, stating that Sharma was just a flatmate and the duo shared the apartment with two others.
#WATCH | Hyderabad, Telangana: On his daughter's body was reportedly found with stab wounds inside her former partner's apartment in Columbia, Maryland, Nikitha Godishala's father, Anand Godishala, says, "Four people used to stay in an apartment. Her ex-roommate used to take a… pic.twitter.com/Ws7Ie7LMoX
— ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2026
Anand also claimed that his daughter left for the US four years ago and started working two years ago, after which she moved to a separate flat. “I believe there was some financial disagreement with the accused,” he said, adding that Nikitha had asked him to return the money. “I think he asked her to come to his flat, and he attacked her there and fled,” he claimed.
Nikitha’s cousin Saraswati Godishala also repeated the claim, stating in her complaint to the Indian Embassy in the US that Sharma carried out unauthorised transactions worth around USD 3,500 (about ₹2.9 lakh) from Nikitha’s bank account.
As per her account, three days before the alleged murder, Arjun had asked both Saraswati and Nikitha for money. Nikitha contacted Saraswati and requested help with around $5,000 on Arjun’s behalf. Saraswati reportedly refused to lend the money, but Arjun put forth another demand.
“I sent him USD 4,500, out of which he returned USD 3,500. On January 2, Arjun contacted me again and asked for another USD 1,000, but I refused,” she said in the complaint.
He had asked for an additional $1,000, even though he had not returned the total of $5,500 he had already borrowed from her earlier.
She claimed that Arjun owed nearly $4,500 (around Rs 4.07 lakh) to Nikitha, who was working as a Data and Strategy Analyst at Vheda Health after completing her MS in the US.
The US police have obtained a warrant for Sharma's arrest on first and second-degree murder charges, alleging that he killed her and fled to India.
