Police captured a suspect yesterday who lurked outside the home of a young Queens woman, waiting to slash her throat as she left for work.

The murder occurred as the victim, Natasha “Molly” Ramen, was preparing to testify against the man, Hemant Megnath, 29, for raping her about two years ago, police sources said.

Mr. Megnath allegedly hid in the backyard of the young woman’s home on Thursday morning in the Hollis section of Queens, and as Ramen, 20, walked out of her back door at about 8:15 a.m., he slit her throat, the grandson of a witness who lived in the home with Ramen, Daniel Kissoon, said. Mr. Kissoon’s grandmother has not been able to return home since the incident, he said.

The witness rushed to the aid of Ramen and asked her if she knew the murderer, Mr. Kissoon said. Unable to speak, Ramen nodded her head “yes.”

Ramen was rushed to Mary Immaculate Hospital, where she died about 12 hours later.

Ramen first encountered Mr. Megnath, a real estate salesman, when she was apartment hunting in May 2005, police sources said. After showing her several apartments in Brooklyn, Mr. Megnath told her he needed to get something from inside his home. Once inside the apartment, Mr. Megnath raped Ramen, police sources said.

“When you’re a beautiful girl, people want to take advantage,” Ramen’s uncle, Marine Bharat, 54, said.

Lawyers for Mr. Megnath struck a deal with police yesterday, saying he would turn himself in, police sources said. When Mr. Megnath did not comply, police apprehended him at a friend’s residence in the Whitestone section of Queens, police sources said.

Calls to Mr. Megnath’s family asking about the incident were not returned.

About 10 family members, including Ramen’s husband, Leanord, transported her body back to her native Guyana, Mr. Bharat said. Ramen’s funeral would have been held in Queens, but her parents were unable to get an American visa, he said.

Mr. Bharat said Ramen’s relatives, all of whom are devout Hindus, were devastated by her death, but believe that her murderer will be punished.

“What goes around comes around. I believe in karma,” Mr. Bharat said. “He will get his in the next life.”

But even though the family was close, Mr. Bharat said he never knew his niece was having problems with Mr. Megnath. “Maybe she should have revealed it,” he said.

Ramen moved to America when she was 16 years old and lived with Mr. Bharat and her aunt, Bibi, until she met her husband about two years ago.

Ramen worked in an office at the Elite Car Service in the Long Island City section of Queens and was studying to become a nurse, Mr. Bharat said.