Indian student charged with murdering girlfriend in US, arrested in Germany
A 20-year-old Indian national has been charged in Arizona with killing his 19-year-old girlfriend and impersonating her via text to mislead her family; he was caught in Germany while trying to flee to India.
Authorities in Arizona are investigating the killing of 19-year-old Julissa Salazar, with her 20-year-old boyfriend Varun Bachigari charged in the case. Bachigari, an Indian citizen, entered the US in January 2024 on an F-1 student visa.
Tucson police say the woman was found strangled in an apartment near the University of Arizona on a Thursday. Investigators believe that after the killing, Bachigari took her phone and credit cards and sent text messages to her mother while posing as her, apparently trying to make it look like she was still alive. The messages raised the family's suspicions, and relatives asked police to check on her welfare, leading to the discovery of her remains.
Attempted escape
After the alleged killing, Bachigari traveled to Houston and boarded a flight to India with a connection through Germany. The FBI alerted German authorities, who detained the suspect. The FBI is now working on his extradition to the US, where he faces a first-degree murder charge.
Prior concerns
The arrest warrant indicates that Salazar had moved away from Bachigari in late 2025 and was planning to end the relationship, reportedly due to alleged abuse. The documents also reference other allegations against him — one woman claimed he sexually assaulted her at a Halloween party, though she did not report it to police at the time. Another witness told investigators that Bachigari had been expelled from the University of Arizona following a fight and later lost his job, causing financial strain.
Despite the expulsion, federal documents indicate Bachigari still held legal status in the US at the time of the alleged killing. Authorities have not yet explained why his immigration status had not been changed.
