Highlights:
- FBI announced federal charges against Nazeer Hameed
- Mother and six-year-old son were killed in 2017
- Authorities say Hameed fled to India after the murders
- FBI has offered a USD 50,000 reward in the case
- DNA evidence allegedly linked Hameed to the killings
The United States has announced federal charges against an Indian national wanted for his alleged role in the 2017 murder of a mother and her young son in New Jersey.
Nazeer Hameed, 38, has been charged in connection with the deaths of Sasikala Narra, 38, and her six-year-old son, Anish Narra. The two were found dead inside their apartment in Maple Shade, New Jersey, in March 2017.
FBI Newark announced the federal charges against Hameed on Monday. Authorities said he is “considered armed and dangerous.”
The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office and Maple Shade Police charged Hameed with two counts of first-degree murder.
Authorities said Hameed fled to India after the killings. He now faces federal charges for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in the District of New Jersey.
US officials said Hameed returned to India about six months after the murders and has remained there since then.
Investigators later identified Hameed as a person of interest after learning that he had been stalking Hanumanth Narra, the husband and father of the victims.
A state arrest warrant was issued against Hameed. The FBI has offered a reward of up to USD 50,000 for information leading to his arrest or conviction. Information about him has also been listed on the FBI’s Most Wanted website.
Last year, then New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy had “called and sent a letter” to Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra “requesting the assistance" of the Government of India in Hameed's extradition.
Murphy said the “heinous crime shocked” New Jersey. He also said the state was ready to cooperate fully with the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, the Justice Department, State Department, and FBI “to facilitate the extradition process in accordance with both Indian law and the terms of our bilateral treaty.”
Murphy also expressed his "profound gratitude” to Kwatra for his “prompt attention to this matter and for the continued partnership between our governments.”
According to the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office, police officers were called to the apartment complex on the evening of March 23, 2017, after the bodies of Sasikala and Anish Narra were discovered inside their home.
An autopsy found that both victims died from multiple slash wounds to their necks. Officials said Anish Narra was nearly decapitated. The post-mortem examination also found several defensive wounds on both victims.
“The scene that day was unimaginable,” Maple Shade Police Chief Christopher Fletcher had said.
“Those who responded saw the carnage of a mother and her young child who spent their final moments fighting for their lives,” Fletcher added.
Authorities said Hameed lived in the same apartment complex as the Narra family. He also worked at the same IT company as Hanumanth Narra.
Officials said the announcement of the charges was delayed while investigators worked to gather more evidence and coordinate with federal law enforcement agencies on extradition efforts.
The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said investigators found a tiny droplet of blood at the crime scene that did not belong to either victim. Later testing showed that the blood matched Hameed’s blood type and came from a male with Central Asian ancestry.
Authorities also said several “unsuccessful” attempts were made to work with officials in India to obtain a DNA sample from Hameed.
“In October 2020, the Central Bureau of Investigation in India advised the Federal Bureau of Investigation that Nazeer Hameed refused to provide a DNA sample,” authorities said.
In March 2023, the US requested India’s help through a Mutual Legal Assistance request asking for Hameed’s DNA sample through a court order. US officials said the Ministry of Home Affairs acknowledged receiving the request, but it was never completed.
Authorities later obtained a DNA sample through Hameed’s employer. Investigators examined the keyboard of a laptop and developed a DNA profile. Officials said the DNA profile matched the DNA from the blood droplet found at the murder scene.
BCPO Chief of Investigations Patrick Thornton said, “There is no doubt in our minds” that Hameed committed this crime. He also expressed hope that Hameed would be extradited to the United States.
