Indian man accused of sexually assaulting minor held in New Jersey; ICE takes custody

An Indian-origin man accused of multiple offences, including the sexual assault of a minor, has been detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Vodela Yashaswi Kottapalli faces charges in New Jersey for the sexual assault of a child under 13 years of age, shoplifting and public disorder




In a post on X, ICE said, “Vodela Yashaswi Kottapalli, a criminal illegal alien from India, has pending charges for sexual assault and larceny in New Jersey. We'll keep him in custody pending removal proceedings.”



The agency said he remains in custody pending removal proceedings.

The enforcement action comes as ICE has intensified action against undocumented migrants during the second term of Donald Trump, with the agency publicly sharing details of arrests and detentions involving foreign nationals accused of crimes.

In December, ICE had also released details of another case involving an Indian truck driver linked to a fatal motorway crash in Oregon that killed two people. Authorities said the driver entered the United States illegally through Arizona in November 2022 and later received work authorisation and a commercial driving licence from California state authorities.

That case followed several similar crashes involving Indian nationals driving heavy goods vehicles in the US. In recent months, US authorities have highlighted at least three other fatal accidents in Florida and California involving undocumented Indian lorry drivers.