Federal immigration officials busted a Guyanese man in Queens they say is wanted in his home country for a 2015 murder.
Kanand Ojha, 45, allegedly murdered Nephi Noel in Georgetown, the South American nation’s capital, and fled to the US a week later, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a Monday press release.
He was tracked down in Long Island City on Sept. 8 and arrested by the US Marshals Service’s New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force — a specialized unit comprised of agents from ICE and Homeland Security Investigations.
Ojha had legally entered the country through Kennedy Airport, but his lawful status was revoked shortly after when officials learned of his outstanding arrest warrant in his native country, officials said.
An alleged accomplice in the murder was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2017, according to the release.
“New Yorkers are safer today because this accused murderer is no longer free to roam our neighborhoods,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations New York City Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo.
“Officials who obstruct lawful cooperation between immigration authorities and law enforcement partners place politics ahead of safety and allow dangerous fugitives to embed themselves within our communities,” Genalo continued, in a reference to New York City policies that restrict local agencies from cooperating with ICE.
