Local News

US deportee charged with murder of male sex worker

21 September 2026
This content originally appeared on INews Guyana.
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Kanand Ojha, who was deported from the United States of America on Friday, was on Monday remanded to prison for the 2015 murder of male sex worker Noel “Nephi” Luther.

Ojha was arrested in Queens, New York, back in September 2025 by law enforcement officials and reportedly served time before being deported to Guyana.

He appeared before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and was not required to plead to the incident, which stated that he murdered Luther on July 22, 2015, at the intersection of Carmichael and Quamina Streets, Georgetown.

As such, he was remanded to prison until his next court day, which is set for October 12, 2026.

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.

Forde was already sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2017 after pleading guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

It was reported that on the night in question, Forde and Ojha confronted and shot Luther while plying his trade in the area. It followed an argument that 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.


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