An Indian student has been arrested in Germany after allegedly fleeing the United States following the death of his 19-year-old American girlfriend in Tucson, Arizona, according to police and court documents cited by local media.
Varun Batchigari, 20, a business analytics student who attended the University of Arizona, was arrested after arriving in Germany while traveling from Tucson and allegedly attempting to continue to India. He faces charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping.
Batchigari is accused of killing his girlfriend, Julissa Rubi Salazar, on August 6. Tucson police and emergency crews were called to Salazar’s apartment after her family requested a welfare check. She was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said Salazar had suffered traumatic injuries consistent with homicide. Investigators identified Batchigari as the main suspect and alleged that she had been strangled. Investigators also allege that Batchigari took Salazar’s cellphone and credit cards and sent messages to her mother while pretending to be Salazar. The messages reportedly raised concerns among her family and led to the welfare check.
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Police determined that Batchigari went to Tucson International Airport on the day of Salazar’s death. He reportedly flew to Houston and then continued toward Berlin, with plans to eventually travel to India.
The Tucson Police Department said detectives obtained an arrest warrant and coordinated with the FBI’s Tucson office and its Legal Attaché Office in Berlin. German authorities took Batchigari into custody upon his arrival, preventing him from continuing his journey.
According to the arrest warrant cited by local media, Batchigari had previously been involved in an assault case investigated by the University of Arizona Police Department. The warrant also contains allegations from witnesses regarding prior violent behavior.
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The New Indian Express reported that Batchigari had been expelled from the University of Arizona and was facing an unrelated assault case in Pima County. Court records cited in the report show that the case was filed in May.
Batchigari was reportedly in lawful immigration status when the alleged killing occurred. He is currently awaiting extradition to Arizona, where he is expected to be booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Complex.
The case remains an allegation, and Batchigari is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.