Suspect in Columbia woman’s fatal stabbing apprehended in India after manhunt

The international manhunt for a 27-year-old man wanted in Howard County for allegedly fatally stabbing a Columbia woman has ended after authorities apprehended him in India.

Howard County Police received notice that Arjun Sharma is in custody overseas, department spokesperson Sherry Llewellyn confirmed Thursday afternoon.

Sharma faces felony charges in Howard County of first- and second-degree murder and first- and second-degree assault in connection with the death of 27-year-old Nikitha Godishala.

Sharma reported to authorities that he last saw Godishala on New Year’s Eve in 2025 in his apartment in the 10100 block of Twin Rivers Road near The Mall in Columbia. Police said Sharma made the report Jan. 2 and flew to India the same day. A day later, they found Godishala dead in his apartment.

Detectives believe she was killed on New Year’s Eve, police said in a news release at the time.

No additional information about Sharma’s arrest was available, Llewellyn said. The county has an extradition request for him but the timeline for his return to Maryland is unclear, she said.

The case sent shock waves through Howard’s growing Indian community, which has more than doubled since 2009 and accounts for 6.7% of the county’s total population.

An Instagram account claiming to belong to Godishala’s family in Hyderabad, India, posted calls for justice in the weeks following her death. The latest post March 9 marked what would have been her 28th birthday as a day of remembrance.

“Justice may be delayed, but our resolve grows stronger with each passing day,” the post states.