A 26-year-old man allegedly killed his girlfriend in the United States and fled to India after filing a missing person report, with her body later found inside his flat in Maryland, police said.

The suspect has been identified as Arjun Sharma, while the victim is Nikitha Godishala, 27, a resident of Ellicott City. Howard County Police said they are working with US federal law enforcement agencies to trace and arrest Sharma.

According to officials, Sharma filed a missing person complaint on January 2, claiming that Godishala had been missing since New Year's Eve. He told police that he had last seen her at his flat on Twin Rivers Road in Maryland's Columbia.

As part of the probe, police discovered that Sharma had left for India on the same day he approached them with the complaint, triggering suspicion.

Detectives subsequently obtained a search warrant for the flat. During a search conducted on January 3, Godishala's body was recovered from the apartment. Police said she had suffered multiple stab wounds.

An arrest warrant has since been issued against Sharma. Authorities said efforts are underway to locate him and determine the motive behind the killing.

Source: India Today