Andhra Double Murder in US: Breakthrough After 8 Years

Almost eight years after the brutal murders of Sasikala Narra and her six-year-old son Anish Sai Narra in New Jersey, investigators in the United States have finally identified the man they believe committed the crime. The prime suspect is Nazeer Hameed, an Indian national who worked with Sasikala’s husband Narra Hanumantha Rao at a New Jersey company. He lived just a short walk away from the family’s home.

The killings took place on March 23, 2017. That evening, Narra Hanumantha Rao returned from work to a horrifying scene. His wife and son were lying in a pool of blood inside their Maple Shade apartment, each with multiple stab wounds. Police noted signs of a struggle, suggesting both victims had tried desperately to defend themselves. In the early days of the investigation, some relatives accused Narra Hanumantha Rao of the murders, claiming he was having an affair. He was questioned extensively, but DNA evidence quickly ruled him out.

As the investigation progressed, authorities learned that Narra Hanumantha Rao had workplace conflicts with Nazeer Hameed, who suddenly left the United States and returned to India. US investigators tried several times to obtain Hameed’s DNA through Indian authorities, but he refused to cooperate.

The breakthrough came in 2024 when a US court ordered Cognizant, Hameed’s employer, to send his office-issued laptop to the US. Forensic teams recovered tiny traces of DNA from the device, and the sample matched DNA found at the murder scene.

Following the match, authorities in the United States filed formal charges against Nazeer Hameed for murder and related offences. They have now appealed to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs to begin the process of extraditing him back to the US. According to officials, he was working in America on a visa at the time of the murders and has been living in India ever since.

The motive behind the killings is still not entirely clear, but investigators believe the crime may have stemmed from a personal grudge against Narra Hanumantha Rao.