Dallas, 13 September (H.S.): An Indian national, Chandra Nagamallaiah (41), was brutally murdered and decapitated at a Dallas motel by Yordanis Cobos-Martinez (37), an undocumented Cuban immigrant with prior criminal convictions, triggering widespread condemnation and sharp political criticism in the US.

Police said the attack erupted after a dispute over a broken washing machine at the motel where Nagamallaiah worked as manager. Video footage showed Martinez chasing him with a machete, assaulting him in front of his wife and 18-year-old son, before carrying out the beheading and disposing of the victim’s head in a dumpster.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that ICE has initiated deportation proceedings against Martinez, who was earlier released from custody despite a string of violent charges including child sex abuse, carjacking, and grand theft. DHS officials blamed his release on immigration policy failures.

Congressman Ro Khanna denounced the crime as “horrific,” stressing that a repeat violent offender and undocumented immigrant should never have been free on American streets.

The Indian Consulate in Houston said it is in close contact with Nagamallaiah’s family and monitoring the case. The gruesome killing has reignited debates over immigration enforcement, deportation policy, and public safety across the United States.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar