Washington: The FBI has arrested Cindy Rodriguez Singh, a woman on its '10 Most Wanted Fugitives' list, who was accused of killing her six-year-old son and fleeing to India to avoid prosecution. She was arrested in India through a coordinated operation involving the FBI, Indian law enforcement agencies, and INTERPOL, and has since been extradited to the United States, where she will be handed over to Texas authorities, Fox News reported.

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that Singh, 40, was wanted on state charges for the murder of her son, Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez, who had severe developmental disorder, social disorder, bone density issues, and chronic lung disease. Authorities in Texas began investigating the case in March 2023 after a welfare check revealed that the child had not been seen since October 2022. Singh allegedly misled officials, claiming the boy was in Mexico with his biological father. Two days later, she fled to India with her husband — the child’s Indian-origin stepfather — and six other children. Noel was not among them and did not board the flight.

Singh was formally charged in October 2023 in the District Court of Tarrant County, Fort Worth, Texas, and in November, a federal arrest warrant was issued charging her with Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution. She also faces the grave charge of Capital Murder of a Person Under 10 Years of Age.

Director Patel praised the collaborative efforts that led to her arrest, stating: “This is the fourth ‘10 Most Wanted’ fugitive arrested in the last seven months. That’s a credit to tremendous field work, law enforcement partners, intelligence operatives, and an administration that is letting good cops do their jobs. Thanks to our local partners in Texas, where this case originated, the Justice Department, as well as our partners in India, for the coordination. Dallas and New York FBI did tremendous work.”

A reward of up to USD 2,50,000 had been offered for information leading to Singh’s arrest.

(with PTI and ANI inputs)