More than a decade after Nephi Noel was shot dead in Georgetown, Kanand Ojha has been charged with murder and remanded to prison following his return to Guyana from the United States.
Ojha appeared on Monday before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, where the indictable murder charge was read to him.
He was not required to enter a plea and was remanded to prison until October 12, 2026.
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) said Ojha was arrested by ranks from the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters on Friday, September 18.
His court appearance brings a new development in a case dating back to July 22, 2015, when Noel Wilson Luthers, called “Nephi,” was fatally shot at the intersection of Carmichael and Quamina streets in Georgetown.
Media reports stated that the 20-year-old was confronted by two men at around 2:35 a.m. and shot once in the chest. He was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Police subsequently identified Ron “Andel” Forde and Ojha as suspects and issued wanted bulletins as investigators pursued the case. Reports at the time said investigators had obtained surveillance footage that assisted in identifying the men.
Forde was eventually arrested in Linden and charged with murder. He was later committed to stand trial in the High Court.
In June 2017, Forde pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 years in prison by Justice Navindra Singh. The prosecution’s case was that Forde shot Luthers during a confrontation linked to an earlier dispute involving another man.
Ojha, meanwhile, remained outside the reach of local authorities for years.
He was arrested in Queens, New York, on September 8, 2025, during an operation involving the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, which included personnel from the United States Marshals Service, Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
His apprehension followed cooperation between Guyanese and United States authorities under the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters framework.
Ojha was subsequently deported to Guyana, arriving at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport at Ogle on September 18, 2026, where he was received by local law-enforcement officers.
Three days later, he was placed before the court to answer the murder allegation.
