6 months ago
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for accusation astir an Indian nationalist wanted for his alleged engagement successful the 2017 execution of an Indian pistillate and her six-year-old son, with authorities successful New York urging the Government of India to extradite the suspect.
Nazeer Hameed (38) has been charged with the execution of Sasikala Narra (38) and her lad Anish Narra wrong an flat successful Maple Shade, New Jersey successful March 2017.
In February 2025, Hameed was charged with 2 counts of First Degree Murder, 2 counts of possession of a limb for an unlawful intent and unlawful possession of a weapon. The U.S. authorities person said that Hameed returned to India six months aft the killings and remains determination to this day.
“As the probe into the killings proceeded, helium was identified arsenic a idiosyncratic of involvement aft it was revealed helium was stalking the hubby and begetter of the victims,” Hanumanth Narra, Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office (BCPO) said successful a statement.
A authorities warrant was issued for Hameed’s apprehension and the FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for accusation starring to Hameed’s apprehension oregon conviction. Information astir Hameed is listed connected FBI's Most Wanted website.
Authorities said the motive for the killings has not been definitively established. The adjacent measurement volition beryllium to bring Hameed backmost to the United States to look prosecution.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said that past week helium “called and sent a letter” to Indian Ambassador to the U.S. Vinay Kwatra “requesting the assistance" of the Government of India successful Hameed’s extradition.
Stressing that the “heinous transgression shocked” the state, Mr. Murphy said New Jersey stands acceptable to cooperate afloat with the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, arsenic good arsenic the Justice Department, State Department and FBI “to facilitate the extradition process successful accordance with some Indian instrumentality and the presumption of our bilateral treaty.”
Mr. Murphy conveyed his "profound gratitude” to Mr. Kwatra for his “prompt attraction to this substance and for the continued concern betwixt our governments.” “Last month, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw and Maple Shade Police Chief Christopher Fletcher announced the charges against Hameed, the effect of 8 years of tireless concern successful the quest for justice,” they said.
“On the evening of March 23, 2017, officers from the Maple Shade Police Department were called to an flat analyzable aft the bodies of Sasikala and Anish Narra were discovered wrong their home,” the BCPO connection said.
An autopsy study determined that they died from aggregate slash wounds to their necks. Anish Narra was astir decapitated by his attacker, and the post-mortem introspection revealed respective antiaircraft wounds connected the bodies of some victims. “The country that time was unimaginable,” Mr. Fletcher said successful the statement.
“Those who responded saw the carnage of a parent and her young kid who spent their last moments warring for their lives.” Hameed lived successful the aforesaid flat analyzable arsenic the Narras and worked successful the aforesaid IT institution arsenic Hanumanth Narra.
“The announcement of the charges against Hameed was delayed portion investigators attempted to summation further grounds and worked with national instrumentality enforcement partners to question his extradition from India,” authorities said.
BCPO said that portion analysing the carnal grounds collected from the transgression scene, it was determined that a tiny droplet of humor collected by investigators did not travel from either victim. It was aboriginal determined that the humor was the aforesaid benignant arsenic Hameed and belonged to a antheral with Central Asian ancestry.
The connection said that aggregate “unsuccessful” attempts were made to collaborate with officials successful India to cod a DNA illustration from Hameed. “In October 2020, the Central Bureau of Investigation successful India advised the Federal Bureau of Investigation that Nazeer Hameed refused to supply a DNA sample,” it said.
In March 2023, a Mutual Legal Assistance petition was made to the Government of India asking that Hameed’s DNA beryllium collected via a tribunal order. “The U.S. Justice Department received acknowledgement from the Ministry of Home Affairs that they had received the request, but it was ne'er fulfilled,” it added.
BCPO said detectives were maligned arsenic being unsympathetic to the victims due to the fact that of their Indian root but Mr. Fletcher stressed "our committedness to bringing justness for Sasikala and Anish ne'er wavered." “These crimes were an outrage to our assemblage and to each the investigators who worked connected this case. Two photos bent prominently wrong our detective bureau, 1 of Sasikala and Anish together, and different of Anish astatine schoolhouse successful his uniform. “Those images reminded each investigator, each day, that they carried the work of bringing justness for the victims," Mr. Fletcher said.
Ultimately, it was done a petition from the Prosecutor’s Office to Hameed’s leader that a DNA illustration was yet obtained, connecting him to the killings. An introspection of the laptop’s keyboard generated a DNA illustration that was determined to beryllium accordant with the DNA from the chartless humor droplet astatine the execution scene.
“This improvement provided beardown carnal grounds that confirmed what our probe had already determined,” BCPO Lt. Brian Cunningham said. “Nazeer Hameed went to the Narra flat and brutally murdered Sasikala and her son, Anish.” BCPO Chief of Investigations Patrick Thornton said “there is nary uncertainty successful our minds” that Hameed committed this transgression and expressed anticipation that helium volition beryllium extradited.
The authorization for seeking the extradition of a transgression suspect from different state is shared by the Department of Justice and the State Department.
“We telephone upon the United States Government and the Government of India to instrumentality swift and decisive enactment to guarantee this idiosyncratic is extradited without hold to look the charges that await him here,” Ms. Bradshaw said. “No border, nary distance, and nary hold should basal successful the mode of justice. We impulse afloat practice betwixt our nations to show that those who perpetrate convulsive crimes cannot fly accountability by crossing oceans.” The Prosecutor’s Office besides expressed gratitude to the Indian Cultural Centre of Southern New Jersey for its ongoing enactment and assistance during the investigation.
ICC Board of Trustees subordinate Jayesh Parikh thanked the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, the Maple Shade Police Department, and instrumentality enforcement agencies progressive successful the probe for their dedication and perseverance implicit the past 8 years, “despite the galore challenges and setbacks encountered on the way.”
