Crime & Safety
Elmont Man Extridited to U.S. to Face Rape Charges of Sewanhaka Student
Amit Singh accused of raping 14-year old girl in 2009.
An Elmont man is facing up to 25 years in prison after being arrested in India for the 2009 rape of a 14-year-old girl who was walking past his house on her way to class at Sewanhaka High School.
Amit Singh, 32, was arraigned on Sept. 30 on grand jury indictment charges of first and second degree rape, first and third degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child. He is due back in court Oct. 11.
“Mr. Singh subjected this innocent young girl to unspeakable horrors, both physical and emotional, before running to the other side of the world to avoid the consequences,” Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice said in a statement. “The persistence and dedication exhibited by multiple law enforcement agencies, however, guaranteed that there was no corner of the globe where this predator could safely hide.”
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According to Rice, at approximately 10 a.m. on March 11, 2009, Singh approached a 14-year-old girl who was walking to class at Sewanhaka High School. Singh tried to coax the girl into his Rosalind Avenue home and then grabbed her by the right hand when she refused. He allegedly forced her inside the home and into a bedroom where he raped her, and then drove her to school after the attack. The victim told a teacher about the incident later that day.
Singh then reportedly boarded a plane five days after the attack, one day before the victim positively identified him in a photo array presented by police. DNA evidence from the attack came back as a match to Singh in April 2009. Singh’s DNA profile was in the system from a prior felony drug conviction.
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A grand jury indicted Singh on charges in August 2009. An international warrant was issued by INTERPOL in February 2011. The U.S. Department of Justice notified Nassau authorities in July 2011 that Singh had been arrested while trying to board a plane to Thailand. He was imprisoned in New Delhi and fighting extradition since that time. Indian authorities agreed to extradite him earlier in September.
Members of the U.S. Marshal’s Service travelled to India and brought Singh back to the United States on Friday, Sept. 27, where he was arrested by Nassau County detectives.
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