Who is Nagaraju Balkam? Indian-Telugu man arrested in Santa Fe stabbing by child predator; bodycam video goes viral
A Telugu man of Indian origin was arrested in Santa Fe, the capital of New South Wales. MexicoUnited States, as part of Operation Child Predators Online earlier this month. Authorities later identified the person detained during the undercover operation as 26-year-old Nagaraju Balkam.
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Who is Nagaraju Balkam? Indian man jailed in US
During the first week of March 2026, the Santa Fe Police Department released official body camera footage of the arrest. The video has since gained significant traction on X, with users sharing and reacting to it widely across the platform.
this Santa Fe The police department originally posted the video on its official social media account on March 3, 2026. The video shows the police standing behind a closed door, waiting for the right moment to arrest the Indian suspect standing outside. One officer looked out through a peephole while another captured the scene on his body camera.
Shortly thereafter, police showed up and arrested Balkam. He was seen wearing a light-colored hoodie and holding an orange mobile phone. As several armed officers wearing “cop” vests surrounded him and handcuffed him, one officer asked him if he could communicate in English or Spanish.
After Balkam was handcuffed, police took him to an adjoining room. They directed him to turn toward the wall while they searched him.
Nagaraju Balkam: When did the arrest happen?
The arrest occurred just after 10 p.m. on February 26, 2026, according to official body camera footage from the Santa Fe Police Department. In a March 3 Instagram post, officials announced that Santa Fe resident Nagaraju Balkam had been arrested for “sexual exploitation of a child through prostitution and solicitation of a child through an electronic communication device (meeting with a child).”
The report further noted that Balkam, who is linked to Santa Fe Police Department case number 2026001937, was not the only person arrested in Santa Fe during a multi-day operation targeting online sexual predators. Others detained include Eduardo Ramirez, 59, Harold Adams, 55, and Tomas Cacho, 29.
Each defendant now faces charges related to child solicitation, among other charges, KOAT News reports. Police also said the investigation is ongoing and more suspects may be charged.
