Indian Woman, Son Killed In US In 2017. How Laptop Led To Killer Years Later

More than eight years after Andhra woman Sasikala Narra and her son Anish were found dead in their New Jersey apartment, authorities in the United States have announced charges against an Indian man. Prosecutors said Nazeer Hameed was a colleague of Sasikala Narra's husband at a New Jersey-based company and lived within walking distance from the victims' home. 

Hameed fled to India after the murder. He was tied to the case after a recent DNA sample taken from his company-issued laptop matched with a blood sample from the crime scene. Following this, authorities have filed charges against a suspect for murder and related offences and are seeking his extradition back to America, according to US media reports. 

Patrick Thornton, Burlington County Prosecutor's Office chief of investigations, told the media that Hameed was working in the US on a visa when the incident occurred. He returned to India and has remained here since then. 

The Case

On March 23, 2017, when Hanu Narra returned home to Fox Meadow Apartments in Maple Shade, he found his 38-year-old wife, Sasikala Narra, and his 6-year-old son, Anish, dead in their apartment. 

They had been stabbed multiple times, and later, police said their defensive wounds showed they both tried to fight back. 

Investigators collected multiple bloodstain samples from the crime scene. During the probe, it was found that one droplet collected did not belong to either victim or Hanu Narra, police said.

Nazeer Hameed became a person of interest in the case when police found he was earlier accused of stalking Hanu Narra, with whom he worked at Cognizant Technologies. Hameed used to live within walking distance of the Narras but moved back to India six months after the double stabbing.

The suspect, however, remained an employee of Cognizant even after moving back to India. Authorities believe that Haamed used his extensive background in technology to cover his tracks and conceal his criminal history.

The investigators probing the case got in touch with authorities in India and approached Hameed, asking him to give a DNA sample. He, however, declined that request. 

Determined to get a DNA sample, authorities got a court order in 2024, requesting Cognizant to send them Hameed's company-issued laptop. Ultimately, a DNA contributor was obtained from the laptop, which matched the DNA from the unknown blood droplet from the crime scene, tying Hameed to the crime, police said. 

Investigators are still unsure of Hameed's alleged motive behind the brutal killings. But, based on the circumstances, he held some personal vendetta against Hanu Narra, police said.

Now, investigators are working with the Department of Justice to extradite Hameed to the United States to face charges.