Indian Woman Stabbed to Death in Maryland; Suspect Flees to India

A 27-year-old Indian woman reported missing in Maryland was found stabbed to death in her ex-boyfriend's apartment, prompting police to issue an arrest warrant for the suspect, who fled to India shortly after filing the missing person report.

Nikitha Godishala, a resident of Ellicott City in Howard County, was discovered deceased with multiple stab wounds inside the Columbia apartment of her former boyfriend, Arjun Sharma, on January 3. Howard County police believe she was killed shortly after 7 p.m. on December 31, New Year's Eve, and have charged Sharma, 26, with first- and second-degree murder. Authorities stated that Sharma reported Godishala missing on January 2, telling officers he last saw her at his apartment on the 10100 block of Twin Rivers Road the previous evening. Investigators later learned that Sharma boarded a flight to India on the same day he made the report.

Detectives executed a search warrant at the apartment the following day, where they found Godishala's body. Police described the sequence of events as part of an apparent effort by Sharma to mislead authorities. The investigation remains active, with no motive identified at this time. Howard County police...