A 20-year-old Indian national has been apprehended in Germany and is confronting a first-degree murder charge following the discovery of his 19-year-old girlfriend’s body in her Tucson, Arizona, apartment. As reported by the New York Post, law enforcement and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to an apartment located near Euclid Avenue and Elm Street around 4 p.m. on Thursday. This action was prompted by a welfare check request from the family of 19-year-old college student Julissa Rubi Salazar.
Upon arrival, Tucson Fire Department crews found Salazar unresponsive and declared her deceased at the scene. Police indicated that she had sustained traumatic injuries consistent with a homicide. Investigators subsequently identified her boyfriend, 20-year-old Varun Batchigari, as the primary suspect. Authorities allege that Salazar was fatally strangled.
According to police and local media accounts, detectives grew suspicious of Batchigari after uncovering information suggesting he had allegedly taken Salazar’s phone and credit cards and proceeded to send a series of messages to her mother. Further investigation revealed that Batchigari had traveled to Tucson International Airport on the day of Salazar’s death. He boarded a flight to Houston, then connected to a flight bound for Berlin, Germany, with the apparent intention of continuing his journey to India.
Police secured an arrest warrant, charging Batchigari with first-degree murder and kidnapping. Collaborating with federal, local, and international agencies, Arizona officials orchestrated Batchigari’s detention upon his arrival in Germany.
Roommates reportedly heard screaming days earlier
Salazar’s roommates reportedly heard loud screaming emanating from her bedroom on August 5, several days prior to the discovery of her body. They subsequently messaged her to inquire about her well-being. Salazar allegedly responded, assuring them she was fine and attributing the noise to an argument.
Investigators also ascertained that Salazar had reportedly been planning to terminate her relationship with Batchigari. Local media reports indicate she had previously accused him of sexual assault, though this alleged incident was not reported to the police.
Batchigari was also facing an unrelated assault case in Pima County, with court records showing a case filed against him in May. He had reportedly been a student at the University of Arizona, studying business analytics, but was expelled following an altercation.
He had also recently lost his employment, a situation that reportedly left him unable to afford rent and imperiled his visa status.
Batchigari remains in custody in Germany and is slated for extradition to Arizona. Upon his return, he will be booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Center to face the first-degree murder charge.
