20-year-old Varun Batchigari is accused of killing his 19-year-old girlfriend in Tucson before fleeing the United States
A 20-year-old 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.
Varun Batchigari is accused of killing Julissa Rubi Salazar, who was found unresponsive at her apartment on August 6 after her family requested a welfare check. Emergency crews pronounced her dead at the scene. Police said she had suffered traumatic injuries consistent with homicide and alleged that she had been strangled.
Investigators identified Batchigari as the main suspect and obtained an arrest warrant charging him with first-degree murder and kidnapping. Authorities said he allegedly took Salazar’s phone and credit cards and sent messages to her mother while appearing to communicate as the victim, raising concerns that prompted the welfare check.
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Police later established that Batchigari travelled to Tucson International Airport on the day Salazar died
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He flew to Houston before taking a connecting flight to Berlin, reportedly intending to continue to India
The Tucson Police Department, FBI investigators and their counterparts in Germany coordinated to secure his arrest after he arrived in the country. He remains in custody in Germany and is expected to face extradition proceedings before being returned to Arizona.
Local reports said Salazar’s roommates had heard loud screaming from her bedroom on August 5. Investigators also learned that she had reportedly been planning to end her relationship with Batchigari.
The suspect had previously been involved in an unrelated assault case and had attended the University of Arizona, where he studied business analytics. He was reportedly expelled following a fight. Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Salazar’s death and the allegations against Batchigari.
