Indian-Origin Student Arrested in Germany for US Murder of Girlfriend

German authorities arrested Indian-origin student Varun Batchigari yesterday in connection with the murder of his 19-year-old girlfriend, Julissa Rubi Salazar, in Tucson, Arizona, according to reports from the Tucson Police Department (TPD) and Indian Express. Batchigari, a 20-year-old business analytics student at the University of Arizona, was detained upon arrival in Germany while attempting to board a connecting flight to India, thwarting his planned escape (The Hindu, Google News India).

The murder occurred on August 6 at Salazar’s Tucson apartment, where emergency crews responded to a reported cardiac arrest call around 4 pm local time. Tucson Fire Department personnel found Salazar unresponsive on the floor, a blanket pulled up to her neck, with visible strangulation marks and scratches on her neck, prompting an immediate police investigation (FULL BODY). TPD detectives later obtained a first-degree murder and kidnapping warrant against Batchigari, who had allegedly stolen Salazar’s cellphone and credit cards before fleeing the U.S. According to court documents, he sent multiple text messages to Salazar’s mother using her phone, posing as the victim to delay discovery of the crime. The ruse collapsed when the messages raised suspicions, leading to a welfare check that uncovered the body (FULL BODY).

Witness accounts and prior records revealed a pattern of alleged violence by Batchigari. A warrant obtained by KOLD-TV cited multiple witnesses describing incidents of domestic abuse, including one who alleged he sexually assaulted her at a Halloween party in 2025—a claim she never reported to authorities. Salazar had moved out of their shared residence in late 2025 due to “problems” with Batchigari and had planned to end the relationship, according to investigators (FULL BODY). University of Arizona Police Department records also showed a prior assault case involving Batchigari, though details remain undisclosed.

Despite being expelled from the university, federal records reviewed by Fox News indicate Batchigari maintained lawful immigration status in the U.S. at the time of the murder. His arrest resulted from international coordination between TPD, the FBI’s Tucson office, and its legal attaché in Berlin, who intercepted him during a layover in Germany (FULL BODY). Batchigari is currently detained awaiting extradition to Arizona, where he will face formal charges at the Pima County Adult Detention Complex.

The case underscores challenges in cross-border law enforcement collaboration and raises questions about oversight of students with prior disciplinary histories. Legal experts note extradition proceedings between Germany and the U.S. could take weeks or months, depending on diplomatic negotiations and Batchigari’s cooperation (The Hindu). As of now, no trial date has been set, and Batchigari has not publicly commented on the allegations.