5 Indian-origin men charged with murder in New Jersey after body found in forest

New York: Five Indian-origin men have been arrested and charged with the murder of an Indian man, whose bullet-ridden body was discovered in a forest in New Jersey. The last of the five, Sandeep Kumar, was arrested on Friday, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer and New Jersey Police Colonel Patrick Callahan.

The victim, Kuldeep Kumar, was found with gunshot wounds in the Greenwood Wildlife Management Area, a nature preserve in New Jersey, on December 14. Although Kumar’s family in New York had reported him missing on October 26, his body was only discovered nearly two months later. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) assisted in identifying the victim, whose body was in an “advanced decomposition” stage.

Investigations led by multiple law enforcement agencies eventually linked the five accused men to the crime. Four of the suspects, Sourav Kumar (23), Guarav Singh (27), Nirmal Singh (30), and Gurdeep Singh (22), are from Greenwood, Indiana, while Sandeep Kumar (34) is from Ozone Park, New York.

The prosecutor confirmed the victim was of Indian origin but did not disclose the citizenship of the arrested men or the motive behind the alleged murder. The men from Indiana were arrested by the FBI, the prosecutor’s detective, and Indiana police on December 20, and are currently being held in an Indiana jail pending extradition to New Jersey. The extradition process could involve legal challenges, as the accused may contest their transfer to New Jersey.

The investigation continues as authorities work to uncover the full details behind the tragic incident.

Agency