She is a little petite girl, barely 20 year old, studying for her final year at the Duke University. Most women in her age group spend their time enjoying college life and preparing for their final exams, and dreaming of life ahead. But Sheela Agarwal has largely given up all that and she has taken up a crusade to find the killer of her older sister, Deepa, who was brutally murdered in July 1999 in her Orlando apartment. These days, Agarwal approaches any one who would listen to her and asks for help. She was visiting Washington DC last week in connection with the case.  She has created a web site for her sister to keep her case and memory alive, even though she has received little help from the police investigators. The alleged killer, a distant relative of the Agarwals and an Indian national, has fled to India and has not been arrested. Sheela Agarwal says she will not rest until the killer is caught and brought to justice.

Sheela was working in New York when she learned that her sister was missing. Her parents were in India at that time. She filed a missing person report after three days with the police. The police searched the apartment and did such a lousy job that they did not find her body, for they never searched the closet in the apartment. One week later, upon insistence of the family the apartment was again searched more thoroughly and her body was discovered. She was brutally killed with multiple knife wounds and her body was mutilated beyond recognition. Within a week after that, the police identified and charged a fellow student with the murder. Very little is known about the suspect, Kamlesh Agarwal, who was a distant cousin of Deepa’s father and had come from India to attend college. Kamlesh sold every thing he had a day after the murder and took a flight back to his country. The Indian police have yet to arrest the suspect.

Sheela would like the community to put pressure both on the U.S. government and Indian authorities to pursue this case more vigorously and extradite the alleged killer to stand trial in this country.

Born and raised in the United States, Deepa was a smart girl, who finished her undergraduate degree in just two years and was the youngest Ph.D. student in history of the University of Central Florida in Orlando. “But I will always remember Deepa for her graceful smile,” recalls Sheela, “that to this day reminds me of her hope and belief to overcome any challenge in her life.” Sheela is very disappointed at the lack of cooperation on the part of India in capturing Kamlesh Agarwal, who is believed to be hiding in India. “In the 11 months since Deepa’s death, Indian government has done absolutely nothing to capture the suspect,” insists Sheela. On the other hand, the U.S. government has also failed to aggressively pursue this case. She wonders why the FBI has not sent investigators to India, as they have done in other such cases.

“I am only one person with no clout with the authorities,” concedes Sheela. “ I need help from the community to put pressure on the U.S. government to pursue justice in this case.” Sheela is asking everyone who can, to join her on July 11, 2000, the one-year anniversary of Deepa’s murder, in front of the White House for a vigil in the memory of her sister.

“As I finish my last semester at Duke, I am trying to find closure in my sister’s death. My parents moved to India several years ago, so I don’t have the benefit of their support. I know the Indian community will not let Deepa’s memory forgotten. I need your help, I desperately need your help now.” pleads the young girl.