Gov. Murphy requests India's help extraditing man charged in 2017 Maple Shade murders
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is requesting help from India in extraditing Nazeer Hameed, the man charged in the 2017 murder of a mother and son in Maple Shade, to the United States.
Hameed was formally charged last month with the murder of 38-year-old Sasikala Narra and her 6-year-old son, Anish, in March 2017.
Murphy sent a letter and spoke with Vinay Kwatra, the ambassador of India to the U.S., last week to ask for the country's help with the extradition of Hameed, according to a news release from the governor's office.
The governor mentioned the 1997 Extradition Treaty between the U.S. and India and the "enduring spirit of cooperation between the two countries in upholding the rule of law and combating violent crime" in the letter. Murphy's full letter is available online.
"This heinous crime shocked our state, and for eight years investigators pursued every available lead," Murphy wrote. "The Government of New Jersey stands ready to cooperate fully with the Ministry of External Affairs of India, Ministry of Home Affairs of India, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of State, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to facilitate the extradition process in accordance with both Indian law and the terms of our bilateral treaty. I wish to convey my profound gratitude to Ambassador Kwatra, with whom I spoke last week, for his prompt attention to this matter and for the continued partnership between our governments."
The FBI is also offering up to a $50,000 reward for information leading to Hameed's arrest and conviction, according to the federal law enforcement agency's most wanted list.
Burlington County prosecutors said last month that DNA evidence linked Hameed to the murder scene.
Investigators said a man came home in March 2017 to find his wife, Sasikala Narra, and son, Anish, dead in their apartment in Maple Shade. The victims were stabbed multiple times and had defense wounds, according to prosecutors. Detectives described the scene as "brutal" and difficult to forget during a November press conference.
Investigators obtained a court order requesting that the company Hameed, an Indian national working in the U.S. on a visa at the time, send them his company-issued laptop to collect DNA evidence. They were able to connect Hameed to the murders.
Hameed returned to India sometime after the incident and remains there today, prosecutors said.