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New York: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is offering a reward of up to USD 50,000 for information about an Indian national wanted for his alleged involvement in the 2017 murder of an Indian woman and her six-year-old son, with authorities here urging the government of India to extradite the suspect.

Nazeer Hameed, 38, has been charged with the murder of Sasikala Narra, 38 and her son Anish Narra inside an apartment in Maple Shade, New Jersey in March 2017.

Hameed charged with two counts of First Degree murder

In February this year, Hameed was charged with two counts of First Degree Murder, two counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon.

US authorities have said that Hameed returned to India six months after the killings and remains there to this day.

As the investigation into the killings proceeded, he was identified as a person of interest after it was revealed he was stalking the husband and father of the victims, Hanumanth Narra, Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office (BCPO) said in a statement.

A state warrant was issued for Hameed’s arrest and the FBI is offering a reward of up to USD 50,000 for information leading to Hameed’s arrest or conviction. Information about Hameed is listed on FBI’s Most Wanted website.

Authorities said the motive for the killings has not been definitively established. The next step will be to bring Hameed back to the United States to face prosecution.

New Jersey Guv’s letter to Indian Ambassador to the US

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said that last week he “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.

Stressing that the “heinous crime shocked” the state, Murphy said New Jersey stands ready to cooperate fully with the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, as well as 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 conveyed his “profound gratitude” to Kwatra for his “prompt attention to this matter and for the continued partnership between our governments.”

Last month, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw and Maple Shade Police Chief Christopher Fletcher announced the charges against Hameed, the result of eight years of tireless partnership in the quest for justice, they said.

On the evening of March 23, 2017, officers from the Maple Shade Police Department were called to an apartment complex after the bodies of Sasikala and Anish Narra were discovered inside their home, the BCPO statement said.

Autopsy findings

An autopsy determined they each died from multiple slash wounds to their necks. Anish Narra was nearly decapitated by his attacker, and the post-mortem examination revealed several defensive wounds on the bodies of both victims.

“The scene that day was unimaginable,” Fletcher said in the statement.

“Those who responded saw the carnage of a mother and her young child who spent their final moments fighting for their lives.”

Hameed lived in the same apartment complex as the Narras and worked in the same IT company as Hanumanth Narra.

The announcement of the charges against Hameed was delayed while investigators attempted to gain additional evidence and worked with federal law enforcement partners to seek his extradition from India, authorities said.

BCPO said that while analysing the physical evidence collected from the crime scene, it was determined that a tiny droplet of blood collected by investigators did not come from either victim. It was later determined that the blood was the same type as Hameed and belonged to a male with Central Asian ancestry.

The statement said that multiple “unsuccessful” attempts were made to collaborate with officials in India to collect 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,” it said.

In March 2023, a Mutual Legal Assistance request was made to the government of India asking that Hameed’s DNA be collected via a court order. The US Justice Department received acknowledgement from the Ministry of Home Affairs that they had received the request, but it was never fulfilled, it added.

BCPO said detectives were maligned as being unsympathetic to the victims because of their Indian origin but Fletcher stressed “our commitment to bringing justice for Sasikala and Anish never wavered.”

“These crimes were an outrage to our community and to all the investigators who worked on this case. Two photos hang prominently inside our detective bureau, one of Sasikala and Anish together, and another of Anish at school in his uniform. Those images reminded every investigator, every day, that they carried the responsibility of bringing justice for the victims,” Fletcher said.

Ultimately, it was through a request from the Prosecutor’s Office to Hameed’s employer that a DNA sample was finally obtained, connecting him to the killings. An examination of the laptop’s keyboard generated a DNA profile that was determined to be consistent with the DNA from the unknown blood droplet at the murder scene.

“This development provided strong physical evidence that confirmed what our investigation had already determined,” BCPO Lt. Brian Cunningham said. “Nazeer Hameed went to the Narra apartment and brutally murdered Sasikala and her son, Anish.”

BCPO Chief of Investigations Patrick Thornton said “there is no doubt in our minds” that Hameed committed this crime and expressed hope that he will be extradited.

Extradition

The authority for seeking the extradition of a criminal defendant from another country is shared by the Department of Justice and the State Department.

“We call upon the United States government and the government of India to take swift and decisive action to ensure this individual is extradited without delay to face the charges that await him here,” Bradshaw said. “No border, no distance, and no delay should stand in the way of justice. We urge full cooperation between our nations to demonstrate that those who commit violent crimes cannot flee accountability by crossing oceans.”

The Prosecutor’s Office also expressed gratitude to the Indian Cultural Centre of Southern New Jersey for its ongoing support and assistance during the investigation.

ICC Board of Trustees member Jayesh Parikh thanked the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, the Maple Shade Police Department, and law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation for their dedication and perseverance over the past eight years, “despite the many challenges and setbacks encountered along the way.”