Chandra Mouli “Bob” Nagamallaiah, 50, Karnataka-born motel manager, killed in Dallas machete attack.
Cuban immigrant Yordanis Cobos-Martinez charged with capital murder after earlier ICE release.
Donald Trump blames Joe Biden’s immigration policies for the killing.
An Indian-origin motel manager was killed in Dallas on 10 September, allegedly by an undocumented Cuban immigrant with a criminal record, prompting former US president Donald Trump to attack the Biden administration’s immigration policies.
Chandra Mouli “Bob” Nagamallaiah, 50, originally from Karnataka, was attacked with a machete at the Downtown Suites Motel, where he lived and worked. The assault took place in front of his wife and 18-year-old son, according to PTI.
The accused, Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, 37, has been charged with capital murder. US immigration officials confirmed he had previously been detained but was released in January 2025 after Cuba refused to accept his deportation, PTI reported.
Trump, writing on his social media platform Truth Social, described Cobos-Martinez as an “illegal alien” who should have been deported. “Being soft on these Illegal Immigrant Criminals is OVER,” he said, blaming what he called lenient enforcement under President Joe Biden.
Nagamallaiah’s funeral was held on 13 September in Flower Mound, Texas, attended by family and friends. A fundraiser to support his family has raised over USD 321,326.
The killing has unsettled the Indian-American community and renewed debate over immigration enforcement in the United States, particularly the difficulties faced when countries decline to take back deportees.
(With inputs from PTI)
