Fifth Suspect Charged In Manchester Township Shooting Death Of India Man

Tuesday, January 7, 2025, 7:50 A.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ.- During an ongoing investigation into the shooting death of an Indian national, on Friday, January 3, 2025, a 34-year-old South Ozone Park, New York man was taken into custody and jailed after being charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Kuldeep Kumar, 35, of India, whose body was discovered on December 14, 2024, in Manchester Township, New Jersey.

     According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, Sandeep Kumar, 34,  was formally charged on Friday with one count of first-degree Murder and one count of first-degree Conspiracy to Commit Murder. Kumar was processed on the charges at the New Jersey State Police Barracks in Holmdel, New Jersey. He was then transported to the Ocean County Jail pending future court proceedings in Ocean County Superior Court.

Ocean County Law Enforcement Find Kumar’s Body

     As previously reported, on Saturday, December 14, 2024, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit was contacted regarding a report of the body of a man who had been located in a section of Greenwood Wildlife Management Area in Manchester Township, New Jersey. Upon arrival, Detectives found the body of a deceased male in the advanced stages of decomposition, and a multi-law enforcement agency investigation was initiated.

     On Sunday, December 16, 2024, following an autopsy, the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the Cause of Death to be Multiple Gunshot Wounds to the Chest, and the Manner of Death was ruled Homicide. With assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the man was identified as Kuldeep Kumar, 35, of India.

Kumar Is Formally Identified

     Shortly after identifying Mr. Kumar, investigators learned that Mr. Kumar had been reported missing by family members in Ozone Park, New York, on October 26, 2024.

     Following an investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies, investigators determined that Sourav Kumar, 23, Gaurav Singh, 27, Nirmal Singh, 30, and Gurdeep Singh, 22, all from Greenwood, Indiana, acted together to lure and carry out the murder of Mr. Kumar. On December 19, 2024, and December 20, 2024, all four men were taken into custody in the City of Greenwood, Indiana. The four remain lodged in the Jefferson County Jail in Franklin, Indiana, pending extradition back to New Jersey to face trial for their roles in the murder of Mr. Kumar.

Continuing Investigation Leads To Fifth Suspect Charged

     The continuing investigation into the shooting death of Kuldeep Kumar uncovered that Sandeep Kumar, 34, acted in concert with the other four men to carry out the killing of Mr. Kumar. Accordingly, on Friday, he was taken into custody by Detectives of the New Jersey State Police.