Ms. Nikitha Godishala, who was found deceased in Maryland, USA, on 31 December 2025, from the deceased’s family!

Hyderabad, 26^th August 2026: Arjun Sharma had lost his job in August/September 2025 and, till her demise, began repeatedly borrowing money from our daughter and our family on the pretext that he would repay it. Our daughter was already under considerable financial stress because of him. He continued taking money from her and our family, and these financial dealings continued in the months leading up to her death. His mother, Rachna Sharma, was fully aware of these dealings and had herself repaid money to our family on several occasions, which clearly shows that she was aware of the financial situation and on several occasions our daughter is not safe and this is a premedicated murder planned by both mother and son.

It is deeply painful for us to know that our daughter was carrying this financial burden because of someone she trusted, while he continued to take advantage of her situation.

We never felt that our daughter was in a good environment because of this situation. Several of her friends had also noticed what was happening and had advised her to stay away from him. As parents, we were deeply concerned about the situation, but we could never have imagined that the financial exploitation and pressure she was facing would ultimately lead to such a horrific loss of our daughter.

What is shocking is that immediately after killing our daughter, transactions were made from her account. He then filed a missing-person report, but we feel the seriousness of her disappearance was not taken properly by the authorities there. It was 31st December, New Year’s Eve, and our daughter’s case was not treated with the urgency it deserved.

What followed was even more painful, a character assassination of our daughter. Her photographs were circulated online, she was judged and portrayed in a completely wrong manner, even before the family had proper information. People questioned us, “Why did you send her to the US?” We were already going through unimaginable grief, yet we received no proper support or timely updates from the US authorities.

The accused remained elusive, and we believe his mother protected him and helped him evade the consequences of the crime. We want her role to be thoroughly investigated.

The FIR was registered on at Lalaguda police station. Subsequently, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took cognizance of the matter and issued proceedings, directing the concerned authorities to take appropriate action and submit the necessary reports.

The family has been in direct contact with DCP Rakshitha Murthy, IPS, who informed us about the arrest and has provided continuous support, guidance, and coordination with all concerned authorities and stakeholders throughout the matter.

We ran from pillar to post to get justice for our daughter. We are deeply grateful to BJP State President Shri Ram Chander Rao and several BJP leaders, member of the NHRC, MCRF Foundation, CBI, the Women’s Commission, IPS officers Charu Sinha and Rakshitha Murthy, and activists Sree Divya Vadlapudi and Dr. Govindarajulu Vadlapudi, who supported our family immensely throughout this difficult journey.

But the challenges still remain.

Today, as grieving parents, we are forced to ask ourselves: should we continue sending our children to the US if this is how families are treated when tragedy strikes?

* If the US authorities can remain silent even after an accused in our daughter’s murder has been arrested, what confidence can Indian parents have in sending their children there? Our children go there trusting the system will protect them and, if something happens, ensure justice for them.

* Why are we, the victim’s parents, having to announce the arrest of the accused? Why has there been no official press release from the US authorities? The Consul in Hyderabad and embassy in Delhi haven’t provided any response till date. We received sympathy messages instead of support.

* We have lost our daughter, and instead of receiving clear updates and support, we have been left chasing authorities for answers. Is this the accountability that families of victims can expect?

* This is bigger than just our family. Thousands of Indian parents send their children to the US with enormous trust and hope. If a child loses her life there, those parents deserve transparency, communication and accountability, not silence.

*  Our question is whether we can trust the US system to stand with our children and their families when the unthinkable happens.

We sent our daughter to the US believing she would be safe. She returned to us as a dead body. We cannot bring Nikitha back, but we will continue to fight until every person responsible is held accountable and our daughter gets the justice she deserves.

Justice for us is a thorough fair investigation being held with a non bailable warrants for both mother and the son. A fair enquiry and complete investigation of everyone involved, all the accused brought to justice and complete details of this horrific incident to the family in full faith.

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