Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel, a 34-year-old citizen of India, is among the ten most wanted fugitives by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Patel is sought for purportedly murdering his wife in Maryland in April 2015.
The federal agency has offered a reward of USD 250,000 (approximately Rs 2.16 crore) for information that results in Patel’s capture.
Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel, originally from Gujarat, was employed at a donut shop in Maryland with his spouse.
In April 2015, Patel repeatedly hit his wife, Palak, with an object and ended her life while they were both at their workplace.
Subsequently, a warrant for his arrest was issued, and he faced charges including first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and possessing a dangerous weapon with the intent to harm.
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Investigators disclosed that Palak Patel, who was 21 then, expressed a wish to go back to India, which her husband opposed. Reports suggest that the pair’s visas had lapsed a month before the murder.
“The best guess is that he didn’t want her to leave,” Special Agent Jonathan Shaffer of the FBI’s Baltimore Division said last year when the FBI had included Patel in their most wanted list.
“It’s possible he thought he would be disgraced by her leaving and returning to India,” Shaffer said.
After the murder, Patel escaped the location, leading officials to release a federal arrest warrant a few days afterward.
The FBI believes Patel could be staying with family in the US, or he may have fled to Canada or gone back to India. “hose are among the plausible options we are exploring,” Shaffer stated.
Patel remains on the federal agency’s list of most wanted fugitives.
On Thursday, the FBI described Patel as “armed and highly dangerous” and requested the public’s assistance in providing any information about him.
