The FBI is offering a reward of up to USD 50,000 for information leading to the arrest or conviction of an Indian national accused of murdering an Indian woman and her six-year-old son in New Jersey eight years ago. Nazeer Hameed, 38, has been charged with the 2017 killings of 38-year-old Sasikala Narra and her son Anish inside their Maple Shade apartment, in a case that has haunted local investigators and triggered renewed diplomatic pressure on India.
Authorities say Hameed fled to India six months after the murders and has remained there ever since. Earlier this year, he was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two weapons offences, and unlawful possession of a weapon. His profile is now listed on the FBI’s Most Wanted website, marking a significant escalation in the longstanding effort to bring him back to the United States.
Hameed lived in the same apartment complex as the victims and worked at the same IT company as Sasikala’s husband, Hanumanth Narra. Burlington County prosecutors said he emerged as a person of interest early in the investigation after evidence suggested he had been stalking Narra. Although the motive remains unclear, investigators say the crime scene showed extreme violence: both victims died from multiple slash wounds, and 6-year-old Anish was nearly decapitated.
For years, detectives struggled to secure cooperation from India as they attempted to obtain a DNA sample from Hameed. The Central Bureau of Investigation informed the FBI in 2020 that Hameed had refused to provide a sample. A formal request for a court-ordered DNA collection, sent under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in 2023, was acknowledged by India’s Ministry of Home Affairs but never fulfilled.
Prosecutors ultimately found an alternative route: they obtained DNA from a keyboard used by Hameed at his workplace, which matched an unknown male DNA droplet found at the crime scene. Investigators said the match provided the physical evidence needed to formally charge him.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said he has contacted Indian Ambassador Vinay Kwatra, urging India’s government to assist with Hameed’s extradition. Murphy stressed that New Jersey is prepared to work closely with U.S. federal agencies and Indian authorities to ensure the suspect is brought back to face trial, calling the crime “heinous” and deeply unsettling for the community.
Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw and Maple Shade Police Chief Christopher Fletcher said the latest charges are the result of eight years of persistent investigative work despite numerous setbacks. Fletcher described the crime scene as “unimaginable,” and investigators say images of the victims have hung in the detective bureau as a daily reminder of their commitment to justice.
Law enforcement officials are now calling on both governments to act swiftly, warning that no international boundary should obstruct justice for Sasikala and Anish. Community leaders in New Jersey, including the Indian Cultural Centre of Southern New Jersey, praised the perseverance of investigators and urged India to cooperate.
The case, long stalled by international complications, now rests on whether India will move forward with the extradition request — a decision that could determine whether Hameed ever stands trial in the United States