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A 20-year-old Indian national who entered the United States on a student visa in January 2024 has been arrested in Germany and faces extradition to Arizona on a first-degree murder charge. Federal law enforcement sources said Varun Batchigari arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on January 8, 2024, holding an F-1 student visa. He is accused of killing 19-year-old Julissa Salazar, whose body was discovered in an off-campus apartment near the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Following the alleged strangling death on Thursday, investigators say Batchigari attempted to flee the country by boarding a flight from Houston bound for India with a connecting flight through Germany. German authorities arrested him at the layover after the FBI notified local law enforcement of his location. The FBI is now working to secure his return to Arizona to face criminal proceedings.
According to court documents, Batchigari allegedly stole Salazar’s cellphone and credit cards after the killing and sent text messages to her mother while impersonating the victim. The suspicious messages prompted Salazar’s family to request a welfare check, which led police to find her body. A felony warrant details a pattern of escalating violence and a deteriorating relationship in the months preceding her death.
The warrant indicates Batchigari had previously faced investigation for assault by the University of Arizona Police Department. Multiple witnesses told investigators he had been expelled from the university following a fight and subsequently lost his job, creating financial hardship and jeopardizing his student visa status. One witness alleged he sexually assaulted her at a Halloween party, though she never filed a police report.
Federal immigration records reviewed by Fox News indicated Batchigari maintained lawful status at the time of the alleged murder despite his reported expulsion from the university. F-1 visa holders are typically required to remain enrolled to preserve their legal standing, raising questions about how his status remained unchanged after his expulsion.
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