Nearly a decade after the gruesome murder of his wife, Palak, Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel, an Indian national, remains one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. The FBI is still actively seeking information leading to his arrest and is offering a reward of up to $250,000 for information that leads to his apprehension.
The crime occurred on April 12, 2015, at a Dunkin' Donuts in Hanover, Maryland, where both Bhadreshkumar, then 25, and Palak, 21, worked. During their night shift, Bhadreshkumar allegedly attacked Palak in the back of the shop, striking her multiple times with an object. Surveillance footage captured the couple walking towards the kitchen area shortly before the incident. Customers grew suspicious when no employees came to take their orders and alerted a nearby police officer, who discovered Palak's body.
The FBI believes that the motive behind the murder may have been Palak's desire to return to India, a move that Bhadreshkumar opposed. Their visas had expired a month prior to the incident. Special Agent Jonathan Shaffer of the FBI's Baltimore Division suggested that Bhadreshkumar might have felt disgraced by his wife leaving and returning to India.
After the murder, Bhadreshkumar fled the scene. He was last seen on the morning of April 13, 2015, at Newark Penn Station in New Jersey. He took a hotel shuttle to the station and has not been seen since. Law enforcement believes he may have fled to Canada or returned to India. Patel has contacts in Canada and India and the U.S. states of New Jersey, Kentucky, Georgia, and Illinois.
An arrest warrant was issued for Patel on April 20, 2015, charging him with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and possession of a dangerous weapon with intent to injure and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. On April 18, 2017, he was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
The FBI describes Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel, born on May 15, 1990, in Viramgam, Gujarat, India, as armed and extremely dangerous. He is 5'9" tall, weighs approximately 165 pounds, and has brown eyes and brown hair.
The FBI urges anyone with information about Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel's whereabouts to contact their Toll-Free tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI. The agency hopes that the public's assistance, combined with the ongoing efforts of investigators, will lead to the capture of Bhadreshkumar Patel and bring closure to this case. The FBI has also released wanted posters in English, French, Hindi, Gujarati, and Marathi.
