US says Indian man’s beheading was ‘completely preventable’; issues stark warning ‘If you come to our country…’
The beheading of Indian-origin motel manager Chandra Mouli in Dallas has been condemned as ‘completely preventable’ by DHS and Donald Trump, sparking renewed calls for stricter immigration enforcement.
The brutal murder of Indian-origin motel manager Chandra Mouli “Bob” Nagamallaiah, 50, in Dallas has drawn attention, with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and US President Donald Trump blaming prior immigration policies for enabling the attacker to remain in the country.
Indian Man Decapitated at Dallas Motel
On 10 September 2025, Chandra Mouli Nagamallaiah, an Indian-origin manager at the Downtown Suites Motel on Samuell Boulevard in Dallas, was fatally attacked by his co-worker, 37-year-old Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, an undocumented Cuban immigrant with a prior criminal record.
The assailant reportedly beheaded Chandra Mouli Nagamallaiah in front of his wife and 18-year-old son, later discarding the head in a trash bin.
Cobos-Martinez has since been arrested and charged with capital murder and is currently held in the Dallas County Jail.
DHS Calls Indian Man's Murder ‘Completely Preventable’
The DHS condemned the attack on Chandra Mouli as entirely avoidable, attributing it to the previous Joe Biden administration’s decision to allow Cobos-Martinez to remain in the United States. In a statement posted on X, the agency said:
“This vile monster beheaded a man in front of his wife and child and proceeded to kick the victim's head on the ground. This gruesome, savage slaying… was completely preventable if this criminal illegal alien was not released into our country by the Biden Administration, since Cuba would not take him back.”
The DHS also emphasised that its current approach under the Donald Trump administration focuses on removing criminal illegal aliens to third countries, including Eswatini, Uganda, South Sudan, or Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT).
Trump terms Chandra Mouli as 'Well-respected’
Donald Trump, commenting on the murder via Truth Social, described Chandra Mouli Nagamallaiah as a “well-respected person” and called the accused an “illegal alien who should have never been in our country.” He added:
“The criminal, who is in custody, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law. He will be charged with murder in the first degree.”
Donald Trump criticised the Biden administration for previous failures in immigration enforcement, noting Cobos-Martinez’s prior arrests for child sexual abuse, grand theft auto, and false imprisonment, and his release back into the US when Cuba refused to accept him.
“Rest assured, the time for being soft on these illegal immigrant criminals is over under my watch! Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Border Czar Tom Homan, and many others in my Administration, are doing an incredible job in making America safe again,” Trump added.
Condolences and Calls for Justice
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi expressed horror at the killing, highlighting Chandra Mouli Nagamallaiah’s role as a hardworking Indian-American immigrant:
“My deepest condolences go to his family. The perpetrator must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Cobos-Martinez had previously been released from ICE custody earlier this year, after Cuba refused to accept his deportation due to his criminal history.