Cold Case Cracked In Brutal Slayings Of Mother, Child In Burlington Co.: Prosecutor

MAPLE SHADE, NJ — An unknown drop of blood and a man's work laptop cracked an eight-year cold case in the killings of a woman and her child inside their Maple Shade apartment, authorities said Tuesday.

In March 2017, Sasikala Narra, 38, and her son, Anish Narra, were found dead in their apartment with multiple slash wounds to their necks, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office. Anish, 6, was nearly decapitated, and the post-mortem examination showed defensive wounds on both victims' bodies.

Eight years later, Sasikala's coworker and neighbor has been charged in the slayings.

Nazeer Hameed lived in the same apartment complex and both worked for Cognizant Technology Solutions — a Philadelphia-based consulting firm.

Hameed, a 38-year-old Indian National, moved back to India six months after the killings, authorities said. Prosecutors are urging the United States and India to get him extradited back to the U.S.

"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," said County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw.

The U.S. and India have an extradition treaty, providing a legal framework for the two nations to surrender people accused or convicted of crimes.

At the crime scene, authorities say they collected a single drop of blood that didn't come from either victim. It was later determined that the blood was the same type as Hameed's and belonged to a male of Central Asian ancestry, prosecutors said.

For years, Hameed had been a person of interest — ever since authorities discovered he was stalking Hanumanth Narra, the victims' father and husband.

But prosecutors needed a DNA sample to confirm, and multiple attempts to get one with help from India's government fell through. In 2020, the Central Bureau of Investigation in India told the FBI that Hameed refused to provide a sample.

In March 2023, a Mutual Legal Assistance request was made to the government of India requesting Hameed's DNA be collected via a court order. The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs said they received the request, but they never acted on it, prosecutors said.

Ultimately, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office sought the suspect's DNA through his former employer. After being served a subpoena, Cognizant cooperated and provided investigators with Hameed's former work laptop, prosecutors said.

An examination of the laptop's keyboard generated a DNA profile that was consistent with the DNA from the blood droplet at the crime scene, authorities said.

"This development provided strong physical evidence that confirmed what our investigation had already determined," said BCPO Lt. Brian Cunningham.

Hameed was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, and singular counts of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.

Prosecutors have not established a motive in the case.

Anyone with information regarding Hameed and the investigation can contact the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office at 609-265-5035 or email tips@co.burlington.nj.us.