Investigations by Telangana Police and intelligence agencies into the background of Sydney's Bondi beach attacker, Sajid Akram, have established that his multiple visits to Hyderabad over more than two decades were strictly personal, centred on family and property matters, with no evidence of suspicious activity or overseas terror linkages.
A Timeline of Personal Visits
Officials have pieced together a detailed chronology of Akram's trips to India. An Indian passport holder who migrated to Australia in 1998, Sajid Akram returned to Hyderabad six times. His first visit post-migration was in 2001, when he introduced his Australian wife of Italian descent, Venera Grosso, to his parents and performed a traditional nikah ceremony.
He returned in 2004 to present his son, Naveed, to the extended family. Following his father's death in 2009, Akram arrived about a month after the funeral to meet relatives, as he could not attend the rites. Subsequent trips in 2012 and 2016 were primarily for property dealings, where he explored selling ancestral land and a house near Shalibanda, eventually signing disposal agreements, sometimes accompanied by his son.
No Security Red Flags or Suspicious Links
Akram's final visit was in 2022, where he stayed for approximately two weeks at his family home in Al Hasnath Colony, Toli Chowki. A senior police officer stated that during this stay, he largely remained indoors with close family members. After thorough scrutiny, authorities concluded his visits were brief and personal.
"Our verification shows the visits were short and personal. There is no evidence to suggest he travelled to Pakistan or met anyone outside his immediate family," an intelligence official confirmed, noting that Sajid Akram was not on the radar of Indian security agencies during his time in India or after his departure.
Police also disclosed that Akram had been trying to obtain Australian citizenship for years without success and last renewed his Indian passport in 2022. They confirmed he had no adverse record in India, suggesting any radicalisation of the father-son duo likely occurred overseas.
Community Distancing and Ongoing Probes
In Australia, the Indian community has distanced itself from the accused. Muhammad Arshad Khan, chairman of the Indian Muslim Association of Australia, stated from Sydney that despite decades of community involvement, he had never encountered Akram or his family, noting they lived in isolation and were not registered with any known associations.
Meanwhile, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) had examined Naveed Akram in 2019 over suspected links to a local Islamic State cell in Sydney but later cleared him as not posing an imminent threat. Australian agencies continue to investigate further details, including the duo's reported travel to the Philippines shortly before the attack.
Following the incident, several community groups have announced support initiatives for victims, including blood donation drives coordinated with Australian authorities.
