Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 03:06am on 11 Aug 2026,Tuesday India Global
A 20-year-old Indian national, Varun Batchigari, was arrested in Berlin, Germany, on August 9 over the alleged murder of his 19-year-old girlfriend, University of Arizona student Julissa Rubi Salazar, in Tucson. Salazar was found unresponsive with signs of trauma in her apartment on August 6 after her family requested a welfare check. Police identified Varun as the main suspect and allege he strangled Salazar, took her phone and credit cards, and impersonated her in messages to her mother before fleeing the US. He travelled from Tucson to Houston and then Berlin, reportedly possibly intending to return to India. US authorities issued an arrest warrant and expect his extradition to Arizona, where he faces a first-degree murder charge. (PC: India Today)
