Indian Student Arrested In Germany Over Girlfriend’s Murder In US
A 20-year-old Indian national, Varun Batchigari, has been arrested in Germany after he was accused of killing his 19-year-old girlfriend, Julissa Rubi Salazar, in Tucson, Arizona.
Salazar was found dead at her apartment on August 6. Tucson police later obtained a warrant charging Batchigari with first-degree murder and kidnapping.
According to the arrest warrant, Salazar’s family became worried after receiving messages from her phone. Investigators allege Batchigari took her phone and credit cards after the killing and sent messages to her mother while pretending to be Salazar. The family then requested a welfare check.
Tucson Fire Department crews reached the apartment at about 4 pm and found Salazar dead on the floor, with a blanket pulled up to her neck. Police said she had marks and scratches on her neck, leading investigators to suspect strangulation.
Batchigari had already left Tucson. Reports say he travelled from Tucson to Houston to Berlin, with plans to continue to India. Investigators also allege that he used one of Salazar’s bank cards to pay for a ride to Tucson International Airport.
He was arrested after arriving in Germany through coordination between the Tucson Police Department, FBI Tucson and the FBI Legal Attaché Office in Berlin. He remains in Germany and is awaiting extradition to Arizona.
The case has also brought attention to the couple’s troubled relationship. Reports citing the warrant say Salazar planned to end the relationship and had been afraid of Batchigari because of alleged past violence.
Her roommates reportedly heard screaming from her room on August 5, a day before her death. They contacted her afterward, and she allegedly said she was fine and that the noise came during an argument.
Batchigari also had an open assault case in Pima County, reportedly filed on May 26. Witnesses have made other allegations about his past behaviour, including one woman’s claim that he sexually assaulted her at a Halloween party. She said she never reported it to the police. These claims have not been proven in court.
Reports say Batchigari had been expelled from the University of Arizona after an earlier fight. Federal records reportedly showed he remained in lawful immigration status when Salazar died. He had also recently lost his job and was reportedly struggling to pay rent.
Salazar’s family has since received support through a GoFundMe campaign for funeral, memorial and related costs. She is survived by her parents and two younger sisters.