Eleven years after he allegedly stabbed his 21-year-old wife to death in the back room of a Maryland donut shop and disappeared into the night, Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel remains at large — and the FBI has now increased the reward for information leading to his arrest to $1 million.
Who is Bhadreshkumar Patel and what is he accused of?
Bhadreshkumar Patel, a Gujarat national, is wanted for the murder of his wife, Palak Patel, at a donut shop at 7567 Arundel Mills Boulevard in Hanover, Maryland, where the couple worked the night shift together. Investigators believe he stabbed Palak multiple times in a back room just before midnight on April 12, 2015, when she was 21 years old.
A customer became suspicious after no one responded to his order and alerted the police when he discovered Palak’s body in the kitchen. A federal arrest warrant was issued eight days after the murder.
Patel has since been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault and possession of a dangerous weapon with intent to injure.
Why did Bhadreshkumar Patel allegedly kill his wife?
Investigators believe a domestic dispute over Palak’s desire to return to India may have been the trigger. Their visas expired a month before the killing. “The best guess is he didn’t want her to leave,” said Special Agent Jonathan Shaffer of the FBI’s Baltimore division.
“It is possible that he thought he would be disgraced by her leaving and returning to India. Police Chief Amal Awad noted that Palak Patel worked seven days a week to support her life in America and her family in India. Awad added that “the unprovoked attack has left us with so many unanswered questions”.
How did Bhadreshkumar Patel escape – and where is he now?
After the killing, Patel walked across the street to the apartment he shared with Palak, collected a few belongings and some cash, and called a taxi. A taxi took him to a hotel near Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, where he checked in around 3 a.m. with no luggage.
He checked out at approximately 10 a.m. and boarded the hotel shuttle at Newark Penn Station—his last confirmed sighting eleven years ago. Authorities now suspect he may have fled to India, possibly via Canada.
“Or he could have traveled through Canada back to India,” Shaffer said. The FBI described Patel as “armed and extremely dangerous.”
Why the FBI raised the reward to $1 million
The reward for information leading to Patel’s arrest was increased from $250,000 to $1 million — now the standard amount for all fugitives on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list. Patel was added to the list on 18 April 2017, becoming the 514th person to appear on it.
“We hope this $1 million reward will bring more attention to our tireless search for Bhadreshkumar Patel and lead to the tips we need to bring justice to Palaka Patel, who was brutally murdered by her husband,” said FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul.
“The increased reward reflects the seriousness of Patel’s crime and all cases on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.”
The FBI is calling on the community to act after eleven years
Federal agents and county sheriffs recently came together to mark the eleventh anniversary of the murder and renewed calls for public help. “We appeal to our community to help us find Bhadreshkumar Patel and share this message on all available social media platforms,” Awad told reporters.
“As long as Bhadreshkumar Patel remains at large and continues to elude law enforcement, no intimate partner involved with this evil degenerate will be safe.” Anyone with information can call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov. All information can remain anonymous.
