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Indian national arrested in Germany over girlfriend's murder in U.S.
Batchigari is awaiting extradition to Arizona, where he will be booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Complex.
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Staff Reporter - Mon, 10, Aug 2026
- 02:17 EDT
- 24
Varun Batchigari / Bill Melugin via X
A 20-year-old Indian national has been arrested in Germany and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his 19-year-old girlfriend in the U.S., police said.
Varun Batchigari boarded a flight from Tucson International Airport to Germany, en route to India, on Aug. 6, the same day Julissa Rubi Salazar was found unresponsive in her apartment in Tucson near the University of Arizona, according to the Tucson Police Department.
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The Tucson Fire Department responded to an apartment near Euclid Avenue and Elm Street after Salazar's family requested a welfare check. Upon arrival, firefighters found her dead inside the apartment, police said.
Medics observed signs of trauma on Salazar's body and notified police.
Homicide Unit detectives and TPD crime scene investigators processed the apartment, conducted interviews and analyzed forensic evidence as they worked to determine what happened.
The investigation led authorities to identify Salazar's boyfriend, Batchigari, as a suspect in her death.
Police said Batchigari had flown from Tucson to Germany with plans to continue traveling to his home country of India. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant charging him with first-degree murder and kidnapping.
Through coordination between the Tucson Police Department (TPD), the FBI Tucson Office and the FBI Legal Attaché Office in Berlin, authorities arrested Batchigari when he landed in Germany, preventing him from reaching India, TPD said.
Batchigari is awaiting extradition to Arizona, where he will be booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Complex.
“The Tucson Police Department is grateful for the assistance provided by our FBI partners, whose coordination and support were instrumental in locating and apprehending Batchigari,” officials said.
Authorities have not disclosed details about Salazar's injuries or provided further information about the circumstances surrounding her death.
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