Missing passport won’t delay repatriation of Nikhitha’s mortal remains, says Indian embassy

Hyderabad: The absence of an original passport will not delay the repatriation of Nikhitha Gadishala's mortal remains, the Indian embassy in the United States has clarified, as authorities move to bring back the body of the 27-year-old woman who was found murdered in Maryland last week.In a communication (dated Jan 6), the embassy said that while Nikhitha's original passport was not available, this would not pose an obstacle to sending her mortal remains to India. It said an attested copy of the passport would be considered sufficient for completing the formalities. According to the embassy, Nikhitha was issued a passport in Hyderabad on Oct 28, 2025. Body in a day or two: KishanUnion coal minister G Kishan Reddy said that all required procedures had been completed and that the mortal remains were expected to be flown to India within a day or two. Nikhitha was found murdered at the apartment of Arjun Sharma (26) in Columbia, Maryland. She had reportedly gone to the flat to ask Sharma to return money he had borrowed from her. She was killed on Dec 31, 2025, according to investigators. Howard County police have named Sharma as the prime suspect in the murder and have alerted Interpol for his arrest. Police said Sharma himself informed them on Jan 2 that Nikhitha was last seen at his apartment. When officers searched the flat on Jan 3, they found her body bearing multiple stab wounds. By then, however, Sharma had flown to India, police said, triggering an international manhunt.