Murder Suspect Deported to Guyana After 10 Years on the Run

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – A second man wanted in connection with the 2015 murder of sex worker Noel “Nephi” Luther is now in the custody of Guyanese authorities following his deportation from the United States.

Kanand Ojha arrived in the country on Friday.Kanand Ojha arrived in Guyana on Friday and was handed over to local law enforcement at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport before being flown to the Eugene F. Correia International Airport.

He was subsequently taken to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters.

Ojha was arrested in Queens, New York, on September 8, 2025, by the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force in connection with the murder. His removal from the United States followed coordinated action involving the Guyana Police Force, the U.S. Marshals Service, the US Department of Homeland Security, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations and other US law-enforcement partners.

Guyana had issued a wanted bulletin for Ojha in July 2019.

Luther was shot at about 2:35 a.m. on July 22, 2015, at the corner of Carmichael and Quamina Streets in Georgetown. He was subsequently pronounced dead at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.

Reports at the time said the incident stemmed from a dispute involving a client who had allegedly returned to the area with Ojha. Ojha was accused of shooting Luther once in the chest before fleeing the scene in a vehicle.

Ojha’s alleged accomplice, Ron “Andel” Forde, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2017 after pleading guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter in connection with Luther’s death.

The Guyana Government had previously said Ojha’s arrest resulted from continued collaboration between the Guyana Police Force, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Attorney General’s Chambers and US authorities under the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters framework.

With Ojha’s return to Guyana, local authorities are expected to proceed with the legal process concerning the murder allegation against him.