Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel
{{short description|Indian fugitive (born 1990)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2019}}{{Use American English|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox FBI Ten Most Wanted
| name = Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel
| image =BHADRESHKUMAR CHETANBHAI PATEL (FBI).png
| image_size =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1990|5|15}}
| birth_place = Viramgam, Gujarat, India
| birth_name =
| charge = *First-degree murder
- Second-degree Murder
- First-degree assault
- Second-degree assault
- Use of a dangerous weapon with intent to injure
- Unlawful flight to avoid prosecution
| reward = $250,000
| conviction =
| conviction_penalty =
| nationality =
| race =
| gender = Male
| height = {{convert|5|ft|9|in|m}}
| weight = 165-170 lb
| spouse = {{marriage|Palak Patel|2013|2015|end=died}}
| parents =
| siblings =
| added_date = April 18, 2017
| remove_date =
| number = 514
| status = Currently on the FBI's top ten most wanted list
}}
Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel (born May 15, 1990) is an Indian fugitive wanted for allegedly killing his wife Palak Patel at a Dunkin' Donuts store in Hanover, Maryland, in the United States on April 12, 2015.{{cite news |url=https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/two-years-on-the-run-for-the-murder-of-his-wife-fbi-puts-indian-man-on-it-s-top-10-most-wanted-list-275963.html |title=Two Years On The Run For The Murder Of His Wife, FBI Puts Indian Man On Its Top 10 'Most Wanted List' |newspaper=India Times |date=April 19, 2017 |access-date=August 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617121046/https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/two-years-on-the-run-for-the-murder-of-his-wife-fbi-puts-indian-man-on-it-s-top-10-most-wanted-list-275963.html |archive-date=June 17, 2018 |url-status=live}} He was last seen at Newark Penn Station in Newark, New Jersey, the day after the killing. He was added to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on April 18, 2017. Bhadreshkumar was the 514th fugitive to be placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
Background
Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel was born on May 15, 1990 in Viramgam, Gujarat, India. In November 2013, he married Palak Patel, and the couple came together to visit relatives in the United States in September 2014. Bhadreshkumar was 24 at the time, while Palak was 21.{{cite web|title=Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel|url=https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/bhadreshkumar-chetanbhai-patel|website=Federal Bureau of Investigation|publisher=U.S. Department of Justice|accessdate=April 18, 2017|language=en-us}}
Killing<span class="anchor" id="Murder"></span>
File:Dunkin' Donuts, Hanover.jpg in Hanover, Maryland, where the killing took place]]
On the night of April 12, 2015, Bhadreshkumar and Palak were working a night shift at a Dunkin' Donuts located on Arundel Mills Boulevard{{Cite web |date=2025-04-11 |title=Justice denied in Dunkin' Donuts killing |url=https://www.wmar2news.com/local/justice-denied-in-dunkin-donuts-killing |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=WMAR 2 News Baltimore |language=en}} in Hanover, Maryland. The store was owned by a relative of Bhadreshkumar whom the couple were visiting. Surveillance footage showed Bhadreshkumar and Palak walking together in the kitchen at around 9:30 p.m. before disappearing out of view behind some racks.{{cite news |date=April 12, 2015 |title=Surveillance: Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel & Palak Patel At Dunkin Donuts |url=https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/video/3316768-surveillance-bhadreshkumar-chetanbhai-patel-palak-patel-at-dunkin-donuts/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306044350/https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/video/3316768-surveillance-bhadreshkumar-chetanbhai-patel-palak-patel-at-dunkin-donuts/ |archive-date=March 6, 2019 |access-date=March 4, 2019 |website=CBS Baltimore}} Moments later, Bhadreshkumar re-emerged without his wife, turned off an oven, and left the store.
The body of 21-year-old Palak Patel was found later that night. She had been beaten to death and stabbed multiple times with a large kitchen knife. Investigators believe the couple had an argument, with Palak wanting to return to India and Bhadreshkumar wishing to remain in the U.S. instead.{{cite news|title=FBI puts Indian who killed his wife in US on its 'Most Wanted List'|date=April 19, 2017|url=https://www.livemint.com/Politics/Ih56XLfK09T4spWtPZmnxL/FBI-puts-Indian-who-killed-his-wife-in-US-on-its-Most-Wante.html|website=Live Mint|access-date=March 4, 2019|first=Lalit K|last=Jha}}
Aftermath
Customers arriving at the Dunkin' Donuts store grew concerned when no employees came to serve them. A police officer who happened to be near the store was approached by concerned customers and checked out the scene. Upon searching the store, the officer found Palak's body. Police then checked the surveillance video and realized the killer was Bhadreshkumar, who had vanished. Bhadreshkumar was not identified as the suspect until over an hour after the killing, giving him time to escape.{{cite news|title=Public's Help Sought in Search For Man Wanted in Wife's Fatal Stabbing - Crime Watch Daily|date=February 8, 2016|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4ZPjVFR8-Q|publisher=True Crime Daily|access-date=March 6, 2019}}
After the killing of Palak, Bhadreshkumar fled the store and returned to his nearby apartment on foot. He took some personal items and then got a cab to a hotel near Newark Liberty International Airport. The taxi driver reported that Bhadreshkumar was very calm during the journey. He checked into a hotel in Newark and was seen on surveillance video at the counter paying in cash for a room. He checked out the following morning.
Bhadreshkumar was last seen on the morning of April 13, 2015, around 10 a.m. at Newark Penn Station in New Jersey. He took a hotel shuttle to the station and has not been seen since.{{cite news|title=FBI Puts Gujarati Man On 'Most Wanted' List Over Wife's 'Brutal' Murder At Dunkin Donuts|date=April 19, 2017|url=https://www.ndtv.com/indians-abroad/indian-who-allegedly-killed-wife-inside-dunkin-donuts-kitchen-on-fbis-most-wanted-list-1683063|publisher=NDTV|access-date=March 4, 2019}}
Investigation
File:Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel (40624748975).png of Patel]]
Authorities believe Bhadreshkumar could have fled the country or could be hiding with relatives. He had a visa to be in the U.S., but it had expired by the time he carried out the killing. A report stated that because of this, there was no indication he was able to legally leave the country.
An investigation with Palak's family into the killing revealed that the last conversation she had with them was about wishing to return home to India. This call was made moments before Palak was killed by her husband and had been overheard by him. Police believe that Bhadreshkumar killed his wife for this reason.
Bhadreshkumar has connections in Canada and India and the U.S. states of New Jersey, Kentucky, Georgia, and Illinois. A reward of up to $250,000 is available for information that leads to his whereabouts.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/latest-on-fbis-most-wanted-list-man-accused-of-killing-wife-in-md-doughnut-shop/2017/04/18/ae0a9816-2445-11e7-b503-9d616bd5a305_story.html|title=Latest on FBI's most wanted list: Man accused of killing wife in Md. doughnut shop|newspaper=The Washington Post|last=Bui|first=Lynh|date=April 18, 2017|access-date=August 19, 2018|url-access=limited}}{{Cite web |title=BHADRESHKUMAR CHETANBHAI PATEL |url=https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/bhadreshkumar-chetanbhai-patel |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=Federal Bureau of Investigation |language=en-us}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/bhadreshkumar-chetanbhai-patel FBI profile]
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTgkyjSV08g Wanted by the FBI: Top Ten Fugitive Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel - Youtube]
{{FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives by year}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patel, Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai}}
Category:2015 murders in the United States
Category:FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
Category:Fugitives wanted by the United States
Category:Fugitives wanted on murder charges