Indian national accused of Arizona girlfriend's murder entered US on student visa: federal sources
The man accused of murdering his teenage girlfriend in Arizona allegedly tried to cover his tracks, flee the country and vanish overseas.
Federal law enforcement sources told Fox News the accused killer, 20-year-old Varun Batchigari, is an Indian national who entered the United States through Los Angeles International Airport on Jan. 8, 2024, on an F-1 student visa.
After the alleged killing, authorities say Batchigari boarded a flight from Houston bound for India with a layover in Germany, where he was arrested after the FBI alerted local authorities.
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The FBI is now working to extradite him back to Arizona to face a first-degree murder charge.
Batchigari is charged with murdering his 19-year-old girlfriend, Julissa Salazar, who Tucson police say was strangled Thursday inside an off-campus apartment near the University of Arizona.
Investigators allege Batchigari stole Salazar's cellphone and credit cards after the killing, then sent a series of text messages to her mother while posing as the victim in an apparent attempt to conceal the crime. The messages raised concern among Salazar's family, prompting a welfare check that led officers to discover her body.
A felony warrant paints a picture of escalating violence, a deteriorating relationship and mounting personal troubles in the months leading up to Salazar's death.
According to the warrant, obtained by KOLD-TV, Batchigari had previously been involved in an assault case investigated by the University of Arizona Police Department.
Witnesses interviewed by investigators said Salazar moved out after experiencing problems with Batchigari in late 2025 and had planned to end the relationship because of an alleged history of domestic violence.
The warrant also includes allegations from multiple witnesses describing prior violent behavior. One witness told investigators Batchigari sexually assaulted her at a Halloween party but said she never reported the allegation to law enforcement.
Another witness told investigators Batchigari had been expelled from the University of Arizona following a fight and later lost his job, leading to financial problems and concerns about his student visa status and ability to pay rent.
Federal records reviewed by Fox News show Batchigari remained in lawful immigration status at the time of the alleged murder despite his reported expulsion from the University of Arizona.
Because international students on F-1 visas are generally required to remain enrolled to maintain their legal status, it is unclear why his immigration status had not yet changed.
A Tucson Police Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital there were no updates beyond the information already released publicly. Fox News Digital also reached out to the University of Arizona to confirm Batchigari's enrollment history and whether Salazar was a student, but did not immediately receive a response.