American authorities have arrested a 22-year-old Indian-origin student on charges of arson and terroristic threat against his family members.
The suspect has been identified as Manojh Sai Lella, a senior at the University of Texas at Dallas, was arrested by the Frisco Police Department on Monday, , as reported by news agency PTI.
He is pursuing a degree in Information Technology at the University of Texas at Dallas.
His LinkedIn profile lists prior volunteer experience and involvement in student organizations.
The police responded to Lella’s home after family members reported a mental health episode and alleged threats. He allegedly tried to set the home on fire several days earlier, said the PTI report.
The accused faces arson with intent to damage a habitat or place of worship, a first-degree felony, and terroristic threat of a family/household member, a Class A misdemeanour.
There is no evidence of a threat to a place of worship.
“The arson charge carries a bond set at $100,000, while the misdemeanor charge carries a $3,500 bond,” reported The Dallas Express citing the Collin County jail records.
According to the court records, Lella is a male born in 2003, with a home address in Frisco.
“A first-degree felony conviction in Texas can carry a sentence of five to 99 years or life in prison, while a Class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to one year in jail, though prosecutors must first prove the allegations in court,” reported The Dallas Express.
Recently, a 28-year-old Indian-origin man in Schaumburg, Illinois, was charged with first-degree murder after he allegedly beat his 67-year-old father to death with a sledgehammer at their family home over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Abhijit Patel is accused of killing his father, Anupam Patel, despite an active order of protection that prohibited him from contact with the victim, according to Cook County prosecutors and US media reports.
The active protection order, set to expire in 2027, was in place due to prior threats made by the son, though his parents had allowed him to remain living at home.
The incident took place on 29 November. Court documents reveal the victim's wife returned home around 10:30 AM after being unable to reach her husband, Anupam Patel, or son by phone. Her concern escalated when her husband, who was unemployed due to diabetes and monitored by a connected glucose device, failed to make his routine 8 AM call regarding his blood sugar levels, which she observed were dropping, Patch news reported.
Upon arriving home, the wife noted the garage door was unusually open. She encountered her son, Abhijit Patel, who reportedly told her he had "taken care of Dad" and advised her to "go check on him."
She found Anupam Patel unresponsive and covered in blood in his bedroom shortly before 11 AM. Emergency responders arrived and pronounced the father dead at the scene. Authorities recovered a sledgehammer nearby. An autopsy later confirmed the victim died from at least two blunt force blows to the head, resulting in a fractured skull and broken nose.