Guyana Standard Reports : Kanand Ojha, a man wanted in Guyana for the July 2015 murder of Noel ‘Nephi’ Luther, has been apprehended in Queens, New York. The arrest was made by law enforcement authorities, including the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, which consists of U.S. Marshals, Homeland Security, and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
Ojha was placed on a wanted bulletin in July 2019 in connection with Luther’s killing. Luther, a sex worker, was shot at the intersection of Carmichael and Quamina Streets during an altercation involving Ojha and his associate, Ron ‘Andel’ Forde. Forde was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2017 after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
Reports indicate that Luther had previously engaged in a paid sexual encounter with a male client. Dissatisfied with the service, the client returned less than an hour later accompanied by Ojha. During this second encounter, an altercation ensued, leading to Luther being shot and killed before Ojha and Forde fled the scene in a pickup truck.
Luther, a resident of Lot ZZ Durban Street, Wortmanville, was tragically killed on July 22, 2015.
The Government of Guyana has stated that Ojha’s arrest follows years of cooperation between the Guyana Police Force, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Attorney General’s Chambers, and U.S. authorities under the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters framework. Authorities are now working on the process of extraditing Ojha back to Guyana to face charges related to the murder.
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