Daijiworld Media Network – Dallas

Dallas, Sep 13: In a shocking incident that has sent shockwaves across the US and India, Indian national Chandra Nagamallaiah was brutally beheaded in front of his wife and 18-year-old son at a motel in Dallas, Texas.

Indian-origin US Congressman Ro Khanna condemned the killing, calling it “horrific” and questioning why the accused, 44-year-old Cuban national Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, was free despite several prior arrests. “The murderer had multiple prior arrests for violent theft and child endangerment and was undocumented. He should not have been free on American streets,” Khanna wrote on X.

Dallas police said Cobos-Martinez, previously convicted in California and arrested in Florida and Houston, attacked Nagamallaiah after an argument over a broken washing machine at the Downtown Suites motel on Samuell Boulevard, where Nagamallaiah worked as manager.

Disturbing CCTV footage shows Cobos-Martinez chasing Nagamallaiah through the motel corridor while the victim’s family tries to intervene. He then allegedly beheaded Nagamallaiah with a machete and kicked the severed head before carrying it to a dumpster.
Dallas Fire-Rescue personnel who arrived at the scene followed the blood-covered suspect until police took him into custody. The Indian Consulate in Houston said it is in touch with the bereaved family and providing assistance.

Witnesses told police that Cobos-Martinez became enraged after Nagamallaiah instructed a female co-worker to translate a warning about the broken machine, instead of speaking directly to him. Authorities confirmed that Cobos-Martinez’s immigration status is “on hold” as investigations continue.