Press Releases 2008

U.S. Government Works with Indian Law Enforcement to Return Fugitive Wanted in Florida Murder Case

July 10, 2008                        

New Delhi -- An Indian citizen wanted by Florida law enforcement authorities for the murder of his niece was extradited to the United States on July 9 through the joint efforts of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and the Government of India.

Kamlesh Agrawal is accused of murdering his niece, Deepa Agrawal, a twenty-year-old American citizen, on July 11, 1999.  Agrawal fled to India shortly after police discovered his niece's body and a warrant for his arrest was issued by the State of Florida.

Upon receiving the arrest warrant for extradition from U.S. law enforcement, Indian police located Agrawal and arrested him at a hotel in Mumbai in 2000. An Indian magistrate’s court approved his extradition in 2002, citing “prima facie” evidence of murder.

For the past eight years, Agrawal’s return has been delayed by judicial appeals.  An Indian high court dismissed his final appeal in May 2008, and Agrawal was turned over to U.S. authorities for extradition. Special agents based in India from U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration escorted the fugitive to the United States to face trial for murder in Orlando, Florida.

The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, the government of India and the U.S. Department of Justice have worked jointly for eight years to facilitate Agrawal’s return to the United States to face justice