CHANDIGARH: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has increased the reward for information leading to the arrest of 35-year-old Indian national Bhadresh Kumar Chetanbhai Patel, wanted for allegedly killing his wife in the United States, from USD 250,000 to USD 1 million. Patel is on the FBI’s ‘Ten Most Wanted Fugitives’ list and has been charged with murder by the federal agency since 2015, remaining at large since then.
The FBI stated that it is offering a reward of up to USD 1,000,000 for information leading to Patel’s arrest. He was last known to be in the Newark, New Jersey, area. He is accused of killing his wife by striking her multiple times with an object while they were both working at a doughnut shop in Hanover, Maryland, on 12 April 2015.
A local arrest warrant was issued in the District Court of Maryland, Anne Arundel County, on 13 April 2015, charging Patel with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and use of a dangerous weapon with intent to injure.
Subsequently, a federal arrest warrant was issued in the United States District Court, District of Maryland, Baltimore, on 20 April 2015, after Patel was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
According to a 2017 FBI statement, Patel allegedly killed his 21-year-old wife in a back room of the shop just before midnight on 12 April 2015. He then reportedly fled through a rear door, returned to the apartment he shared with his wife to retrieve some items and cash, and took a taxi to a hotel in New Jersey near Newark Liberty International Airport. He checked in around 3 am without luggage, checked out around 10 am, and took a hotel shuttle to Newark Penn Station. That was the last confirmed sighting of him.
Investigators have theorised that the victim, Palak Patel, wanted to return to India, as their visas had expired the month before, and her husband was allegedly opposed to the idea. They believe Patel could be hiding with distant relatives in the U.S. or may have fled to Canada en route to India. He is known to have ties to New Jersey, Kentucky, Georgia, Illinois, and India.
The FBI initially offered a USD 100,000 reward for information about Patel, which was later increased to USD 250,000 before the current hike to USD 1 million.
