TUCSON, AZ (AZFamily) — A man accused of murdering his girlfriend in Tucson was arrested at a German airport this week, intercepted before he could board a connecting flight to his home country.
On Thursday, first responders were called to a Tucson apartment near Euclid Avenue and Elm Street after a welfare check led to the discovery of an unresponsive woman.
Tucson Fire crews arrived and found 19-year-old Julissa Rubi Salazar dead. Police say she suffered traumatic injuries consistent with homicide.
Based on evidence gathered at the scene, Tucson police say they identified Salazar’s boyfriend, 20-year-old Varun Batchigari, as the suspect.
Detectives learned that the day of her murder, Batchigari went to Tucson International Airport and boarded a flight to Germany, with plans to continue on to his home country of India.
Authorities got an arrest warrant for charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping, and through coordination with several local, national and international authorities, Batchigari was taken into custody when he arrived in Germany.
“The Tucson Police Department is grateful for the assistance and coordination provided by our federal and international partners, including the FBI, CBP, HSI, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Munich Police Department,” the department said in a statement. “Their efforts were instrumental in locating Batchigari and coordinating with authorities in Germany.”
Batchigari is awaiting extradition to Arizona, where he will be booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Complex on his warrant.
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