An Indian citizen working in the United States was murdered by a co-worker at a motel in Dallas, United States after a dispute over a broken washing machine, NBC News reported on Friday.

The 50-year-old man, Chandra Nagamallaiah, was the manager of the motel. He was killed in front of his family.

His co-worker Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, who is accused of beheading Nagamallaiah and dumping his head in a garbage bin, was taken into custody on Wednesday, the American news network reported, citing court records.

Cobos-Martinez, an undocumented migrant, admitted to the murder during interrogation, according to the report. The Department of Homeland Security said that he is a Cuban citizen facing a final order for removal from the United States.

Nagamallaiah was murdered after he asked Cobos-Martinez not to use a washing machine that was out of service, NBC News reported, citing a court affidavit. Cobos-Martinez became upset because Nagamallaiah had relied on another co-worker for translation instead of talking to him directly.

The alleged perpetrator was earlier in the custody of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a detention centre near Dallas but was released on a supervision order in January after Cuba refused to accept his deportation “because of his criminal history”, the homeland security department was quoted as saying.

The Indian consulate general in Houston said that it was in contact with Nagamallaiah’s family and that it was following up on the matter.