The FBI has increased the reward to up to $1 million for information leading to the arrest of Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel, an Indian man accused of killing his wife at a Dunkin’ in Anne Arundel County in 2015.
Patel, who remains on the run nearly 11 years after the killing, is a fugitive on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list. Investigators say his wife, Palak Patel, was murdered at the store where the couple both worked.
Authorities announced Tuesday that the reward has been raised from $250,000 to $1 million, which is now the standard reward amount offered for fugitives on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list.
“We hope this $1 million reward attracts greater attention to our tireless search for Bhadreshkumar Patel and leads to tips we need to provide justice for Palak Patel, who was brutally murdered by her husband,” said Jimmy Paul, special agent in charge of the FBI Baltimore Field Office.
Also Read | Indian, who murdered wife in 2015, still on FBI’s most-wanted list. Reward: $250,000
Who is Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel?
A Gujarati man accused of killing his wife in Maryland, US, in 2015 remains on the run nearly a decade later and has been placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted fugitives list.
Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel, 35, has been a fugitive since 2015 after he allegedly killed his wife while the couple was working at a donut shop.
According to investigators, on the night of April 12, 2015, Patel attacked his wife and struck her multiple times with an object, killing her. The incident occurred during their night shift at the store while customers were present.
CCTV footage from the shop shows the couple walking toward the kitchen area before disappearing from view.
The FBI said a customer at the store became suspicious when no one responded to take his order and alerted police. Officers later arrived and found Palak Patel’s body in the kitchen.
Where were the couple spotted last?
Investigators say the couple was working the night shift at a Dunkin’ located at 7567 Arundel Mills Boulevard in Hanover, Maryland, on April 12, 2015, when the killing took place.
Authorities say the two had been arguing over Palak Patel’s wish to return to India, and the disagreement escalated while she was on the phone with family members.
“Bhadreshkumar Patel became very agitated and upset that evening,” FBI Special Agent Jonathan Shaffer said. “While Palak was on the phone with her family, they walked into a back room of the Dunkin’ Donuts where he brutally murdered her.”
Police say Patel stabbed his wife multiple times before leaving her inside the store. Investigators say he then walked to the nearby apartment the couple shared, collected belongings and cash, and called for a taxi. The driver took him to a hotel near Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, where authorities say he checked in around 3 a.m. without luggage. Officials say he checked out later that morning and took a shuttle to Newark Penn Station, where he was last seen.
Hundreds of leads, nowhere to be found
Since then, investigators say they have pursued hundreds of leads.
“In the intervening years, numerous interviews with family members and members of the public have been conducted,” Shaffer said. “Numerous tips have been received, well over 300 at this point.”
Anne Arundel County detectives say Palak Patel, who was 21, had hoped to become a teacher.
“From what I understand, she loved children and wanted to get into that field,” said Anne Arundel County Police Detective Vincent Carbonaro. “Her family misses her terribly. We want to do everything we can to bring Bhadreshkumar into our custody and get justice for Palak.”
Investigators say the public could play a key role in helping locate the suspect.