By: Richard L. Smith
A Newark man has been charged with the murder of a 74-year-old woman in her Paramus home, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced.
On Monday, November 18, 2024, at approximately 4:08 p.m., officers from the Paramus Police Department conducted a welfare check at a residence on East Ridgewood Avenue. Inside the home, police found the victim, identified as Rita Acharya, deceased on her couch.
A joint investigation by the Paramus Police Department and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit quickly determined that the victim had been murdered.
Authorities allege that 21-year-old Kishan S. Sheth, an acquaintance of the victim, entered the home, strangled and stabbed Acharya, and then stole her vehicle and debit card.
Investigators believe Sheth took steps to conceal the crime before fleeing the area.
On Tuesday, November 19, Sheth was located and arrested in Newark by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Paramus Police Department, with assistance from the Bergen County Regional SWAT Team.
He was picked up on the campus of NJIT inside a building in the 200 block of Central Avenue.
He was taken into custody without incident.
Sheth is facing multiple charges, including first-degree murder, felony murder, and home invasion resulting in serious bodily injury, along with charges related to theft, weapon possession, and concealing human remains. 
He is currently being held at the Bergen County Jail pending his first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack.
Prosecutor Musella praised the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies involved in the case and emphasized the commitment to bringing justice to the victim and her family.