Sajid had cut off contact with his family many years ago after marrying a Christian woman.
Published Dec 16, 2025 | 5:04 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 16, 2025 | 5:04 PM
Sajid Akram and his son Naveed shooting at people at Bondi Beach.
Synopsis: Sajid, a person of Indian origin, had been living in Australia for over two decades, police said. He hailed from the Old City area of Hyderabad. After leaving for Australia on a student visa, he settled there permanently and married a woman of European origin, Venera Grosso, with whom he had two children.
One of the gunmen who indiscriminately opened fire and killed 16 and injured over 40 others in an eastern suburb of Sydney in Australia during Hanukkah celebration has an Indian connection, investigators in Hyderabad revealed.
The shooting, carried out by Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed, at Archer Park beside Bondi Beach on Sunday, 14 December, was Australia’s second-worst mass shooting after the Port Arthur massacre, in which 35 people were killed, and 23 others were left injured on 28 April 1996.
Sajid, 50, who was killed by the police, had held an Indian passport and had connections in Hyderabad. Naveed was injured in the subsequent police firing.
A BCom graduate, Sajid travelled to Australia in November 1998 on a student visa and made his most recent visit to Hyderabad in 2022.
Police in Hyderabad said a comprehensive verification of his background was currently underway.
“His relatives in Hyderabad told that they had severed all contact with him several years ago. Family members said Akram had not returned to India even after his father died in 2017. So far, there is no evidence suggesting any suspicious links in India or Hyderabad connected to the Bondi Beach attack,” a police officer told South First.
Sajid, a person of Indian origin, had been living in Australia for over two decades, police said. He hailed from the Old City area of Hyderabad. After leaving for Australia on a student visa, he settled there permanently and married a woman of European origin, Venera Grosso, with whom he had two children.
Sajid’s son, Naveed Akram, and his sister were born in Australia and are Australian citizens.
According to family members in Hyderabad, Sajid had cut off contact with his family many years ago after marrying a Christian woman. His brother, who resides in Hyderabad, said the family had not been in touch with him for a long period and was shocked upon learning about his involvement in the Bondi Beach shooting.
Government sources said Sajid’s father had earlier worked in Saudi Arabia and later purchased an apartment in Hyderabad after returning to India. Sajid reportedly travelled to Hyderabad a few years ago, during which a dispute arose between him and his brothers over property.
Indian authorities have since visited the family residence and collected details as part of their inquiry. Other family members in Hyderabad are also expected to be questioned.
Preliminary findings by Indian agencies indicated that Sajid travelled to India at least six times over the past 27 years. Despite having family in Hyderabad, including two brothers, relatives said he had not maintained contact, even when their elderly mother had fallen ill.
“The factors that led to the radicalisation of Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed, appear to have no connection with India or any local influence in Telangana,” police in Hyderabad said, adding no case was ever registered against Sajid in the city.
Australian police confirmed that Sajid and his son travelled to the Philippines in November, staying there for 28 days before returning to Australia. Immigration authorities in the Philippines said Sajid had travelled on an Indian passport, while his son used an Australian passport.
The father-son duo had entered the Philippines on 1 November and departed on 28 November, listing Davao as their destination. The purpose of the trip was being investigated as part of the broader probe into the attack.
