India has extradited to the US a man accused by the Florida police of murdering his 20-year- old niece.
Indian national Kamlesh Agrawal, accused of killing American citizen Deepa Agrawal, was extradited on Wednesday through the joint efforts of the US embassy in New Delhi, the Indian government and US Department of Justice.
Deepa was murdered on July 11, 1999, and Kamlesh 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 and the extradition request from the US law enforcement agency, the Indian police launched a search for Kamlesh and arrested him from a hotel in Mumbai in 2000.
A magistrate's court approved his extradition in 2002, citing "prima facie" evidence of murder.
For the past eight years, Kamlesh's return has been delayed by judicial appeals. A court dismissed his final appeal in May 2008, and he was turned over to US authorities for extradition, according to a spokesperson of the US embassy here. Special agents based in India from the US Department of State Diplomatic Security Service and the US Drug Enforcement Administration escorted the fugitive to the US to face trial for murder in Orlando, Florida.
