Man charged with 2017 murders of co-worker and her 6-year-old son in New Jersey.

An Indian national has been charged with murder and weapon offenses in connection with the gruesome killings of a mother and her young son in Maple Shade, New Jersey, back in 2017. The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office has identified the suspect as Nazeer Hameed, aged 38, who allegedly killed 38-year-old Sasikala Narra and her six-year-old son, Anish Narra, in their Hamilton Road residence on the evening of March 23, 2017.

Following the incident, Hameed, who was in the United States on a visa, left for India six months after the killings. Authorities are actively pursuing his extradition to face the charges in New Jersey. Prosecutors have described the deaths as particularly brutal, noting that both victims succumbed to “multiple slash wounds to their necks,” with the child suffering injuries that were described as “nearly decapitating.”

The tragic event was reportedly discovered by the boy’s father, Hanu Narra, who returned to find the horrific scene. A post-mortem examination revealed that both victims displayed defensive wounds, indicating they had fought back against their attacker. Maple Shade Police Chief Christopher J. Fletcher characterized the scene as “unimaginable,” noting the graphic nature of the violence.

Both Sasikala and Hameed were employed by Cognizant Technology Solutions, a consulting firm engaged with a client in Philadelphia. Notably, Hameed resided in the same apartment complex as the Narra family. While investigators have not yet determined a definite motive for the crime, they uncovered evidence suggesting that Hameed had been stalking Hanu Narra.

For several years, federal authorities attempted to collect DNA samples from Hameed to link him definitively to the crime scene, yet these efforts were met with challenges. Progress materialized when investigators, after subpoenaing Hameed’s employer, gained access to a laptop he used for work. A forensic examination of the device revealed DNA consistent with a blood droplet found at the crime scene, which did not match either of the victims but corresponded to Hameed’s blood type.

This breakthrough in forensic evidence significantly strengthened the case against Hameed. Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office Lieutenant Brian Cunningham stated that this development corroborated previous findings of the investigation, which allege that Hameed perpetrated the heinous act of murdering both Sasikala and Anish Narra in their home. As the legal proceedings advance, the focus remains on ensuring justice for the victims’ family.