US authorities have intensified efforts to bring Indian national Nazeer Hameed, 38, back to the United States to face trial for the brutal 2017 killings of Sasikala Narra and her six-year-old son Anish in New Jersey. The FBI is offering a reward of up to USD 50,000 for information that can lead to his arrest or conviction, with his details now listed on the agency’s Most Wanted website.
Hameed has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, along with multiple weapons-related offences. Investigators say he left for India about six months after the killings and has remained there since, prompting repeated requests for extradition.
The victims were found dead inside their Maple Shade apartment on March 23, 2017. Autopsy reports revealed multiple deep slash wounds to the neck; the child was nearly decapitated. Both showed signs of desperate attempts to defend themselves, painting a chilling picture that first responders described as “unimaginable.”
According to the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, Hameed lived in the same apartment complex as the family and worked in the same IT company as Sasikala’s husband, Hanumanth Narra. Investigators later discovered that Hameed had allegedly been stalking Hanumanth, leading them to identify him as a key suspect.
The case, which has stretched over eight years, faced repeated hurdles—particularly in securing DNA evidence and pushing forward the extradition process. The BCPO said a tiny droplet of blood found at the crime scene did not belong to either victim. The DNA later matched Hameed’s blood type and ancestry profile but efforts to collect a formal sample from him through Indian authorities saw little progress. Hameed also refused to provide a DNA sample when approached by the Central Bureau of Investigation in 2020.
A Mutual Legal Assistance request sent in 2023 acknowledged by India’s Ministry of Home Affairs also remained incomplete. Investigators ultimately acquired Hameed’s DNA through his employer, after a laptop keyboard yielded a matching profile linking him to evidence from the crime scene.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said he recently reached out to Indian Ambassador Vinay Kwatra, urging the Government of India to assist in the extradition. Murphy expressed readiness to coordinate with Indian authorities, stressing that the “heinous crime shocked the entire state” and that justice must not be delayed.
Local police officials emphasized that their commitment to the victims never weakened despite setbacks. Photos of Sasikala and Anish were kept in the detective bureau as a constant reminder of the responsibility to bring closure to the case.
Prosecutors say they now have strong physical evidence tying Hameed to the murders and insist that no international boundary should allow a suspect to escape accountability. They are calling on both nations to expedite the extradition process.
Members of New Jersey’s Indian community, including the Indian Cultural Centre of Southern New Jersey, have supported the investigation throughout the years, expressing hope that the victims’ family will finally see justice served.
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