Eleven years after allegedly stabbing his 21-year-old wife to death in the back room of a Maryland donut shop and vanishing into the night, Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel remains at large — and the FBI has now raised the reward for information leading to his arrest to $1 million.
Who Is Bhadreshkumar Patel and What Is He Accused Of?
Bhadreshkumar Patel, a Gujarati 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 12 April 2015, when she was 21 years old.
A customer grew suspicious after no one responded to his order and alerted police upon discovering Palak’s body in the kitchen. Eight days after the murder, a federal arrest warrant was issued.
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 wish to return to India may have been the trigger. Their visas had expired a month before the killing. “The best guess is that he didn’t want her to leave,” said Special Agent Jonathan Shaffer of the FBI’s Baltimore Division.
“It’s possible he thought he would be disgraced by her leaving and returning to India.” Police Chief Amal Awad noted that Palak Patel had worked seven days a week to support both her life in America and her family back in India. Awad added that the “unprovoked attack has left us with so many unanswered questions.”
How Did Bhadreshkumar Patel Flee — and Where Is He Now?
After the killing, Patel walked across the street to the apartment he shared with Palak, collected a few items and some cash, and hailed a taxi. The cab took him to a hotel near Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, where he checked in around 3 am with no luggage.
He checked out at approximately 10 am and boarded a hotel shuttle to Newark Penn Station — his last confirmed sighting eleven years ago. Authorities now suspect he may have fled to India, possibly through Canada.
“Or he could have traveled through Canada back to India,” Shaffer said. The FBI has described Patel as “armed and extremely dangerous.”
Why FBI Has Raised the Reward to $1 Million
The reward for information leading to Patel’s arrest has been raised 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 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 FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul.
“The increased reward reflects the seriousness of Patel’s crime and all the cases on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List.”
FBI Urges Community to Act After Eleven Years
Federal agents and county police officers recently convened to mark the eleventh anniversary of the homicide and renew calls for public assistance. “We are urging our community to help us locate Bhadreshkumar Patel and to share this message on every social media platform available,” Awad told reporters.
“As long as Bhadreshkumar Patel remains free, continuing to elude law enforcement, no intimate partner involved with this evil degenerate will be safe.” Anyone with information is urged to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov. All information can remain anonymous.
