Arrest A Breakthrough, But Need Answers: Parents Of Indian Woman Murdered In US

The parents of the Hyderabad woman who was found murdered in the US have called the arrest of the accused an "important breakthrough" but said they were still seeking clear answers about their daughter's death and the circumstances surrounding the investigation.

Nikitha Godishala, 27, was found dead with stab wounds in the apartment of her 26-year-old ex-boyfriend, Arjun Sharma, in Columbia on January 3. Her body was found a day after Sharma made a missing person report to police and said he last saw her on December 31 in his apartment.

Police later learned that Sharma had left the country on a flight to India hours after filing the complaint. Sharma was then tracked down to a flat in Uttar Pradesh's Agra by a team of Hyderabad police on August 24. Godishala's family said Sharma's arrest is "a beginning, not the end" and appealed to US authorities for greater transparency and cooperation.

"We cannot bring our daughter back. We ran from pillar to post, made nearly 200 calls and refused to give up even when we feared justice might never come. Today, we thank the Government of India, NHRC (National Human Rights Commission), our police and every person who stood beside us.

Their support has brought us to this important stage," they said. "We now respectfully ask the US authorities for transparency, cooperation and answers. We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for what every parent deserves when their child is killed - the truth.

We will continue until Nikitha receives the justice and dignity she deserves," they added. The family has also raised concerns about communication from US authorities and alleged that they were not officially informed that Nikitha's body was found inside a suitcase and instead learnt the detail through media reports.

"We received crucial information through the media, not officially," they said. The parents also claimed that Sharma borrowed money from Godishala, who lived in Ellicott City, and some of the family members after losing his job in the US.

They said financial disputes involving money allegedly owed to Nikitha existed before her death and that Sharma also had financial dealings with others in the US. The family requested investigators in India and the US to examine financial transactions, communications and activity involving Nikitha's financial accounts and mobile phone before and after her death and establish their relevance based on evidence.