Guyanese man wanted for murder of sex worker deported from US

More than a year of evading prosecution for the murder of sex worker Noel “Nephi” Luther, the prime suspect, Kanand Ojha arrived in Guyana on Friday after being deported from the United States of America (USA).

Ojha was arrested in Queens, New York back in September 2025 by law enforcement officials and reportedly served time before being deported to Guyana. Ojha’s return to Guyana has been described by officials as the standard upon which effective cross-border law enforcement must rest: professional institutions, respect for the rule of law, and cooperation in good faith.
“The case 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, international cooperation can proceed professionally and effectively, without speculation or the attribution of political motives to routine law-enforcement action,” a Government official told sections of the media. Ojha had been wanted since July 2019 in connection with the killing of Luther, a sex worker, who was shot in the chest during a confrontation with Ojha and his associate Ron ‘Andel’ Forde at Carmichael and Quamina Streets, Georgetown.
Forde was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2017 after pleading guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
It was reported that on July 22, 2015, near Carmichael and Quamina Streets, Georgetown, Forde and Ojha confronted and shot Luther who plied his trade in the area. It followed an argument which Luther had with an unsatisfied client, who was a friend of Forde. Ojha had allegedly accused the sex worker of robbing him and had left only to return later accompanied by Forde, who then shot Luther who died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.
Thus far, Andell Forde of Rahaman’s Park, Houston, Greater Georgetown, was sentenced to 20 years for the killing after he pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.