More than a decade after he was wanted in connection with the killing of Noel “Nephi” Luther, Kanand Ojha was deported from the United States and returned to Guyana on Friday to face the local justice system.
Ojha, who was apprehended in Queens, New York, in September 2025, arrived at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport at Ogle, East Coast Demerara, at approximately 3 p.m. under security escort and was immediately received by local law-enforcement officers.
Ojha is wanted by Guyanese authorities in connection with the 2015 killing of Luther and is expected to be placed before the courts to answer a murder charge.
His return follows sustained cooperation between the Guyana Police Force and United States law-enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend and return a fugitive wanted in connection with a serious criminal matter.
Ojha was apprehended in Queens on September 8, 2025, through the coordinated efforts of the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Enforcement and Removal Operations, Homeland Security Investigations and Guyanese law-enforcement partners.
The subsequent process involved cooperation among the U.S. Marshals Service, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, Homeland Security Investigations, the Guyana Police Force, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Attorney General’s Chambers through established legal and mutual-assistance mechanisms.
Ojha had remained outside Guyana for years while being sought in connection with Luther’s death.
His return underscores the practical importance of international law-enforcement cooperation, particularly in addressing fugitive movement, transnational crime and other security challenges that extend across national borders.
The agencies involved operated within their respective mandates and through established legal and immigration procedures, allowing Guyanese and American authorities to cooperate while preserving the applicable legal processes in both jurisdictions.
The case also demonstrates the value of mature, lawful cooperation between sovereign partners. Where requests are supported by legitimate law-enforcement objectives and pursued through established legal channels, authorities can work across jurisdictions to ensure that persons wanted in connection with serious criminal matters are returned to face the judicial process.
For Guyana and the United States, Ojha’s return further reflects longstanding cooperation among law-enforcement and legal institutions and reinforces the principle that crossing international borders does not place persons wanted for serious crimes beyond the reach of lawful judicial processes.
With Ojha now back in Guyana, the decade-old investigation moves closer to the courts, where the allegations against him will be determined through the judicial process.