A 24-year-old Gujarati man, now in his 30s, who killed his wife in cold blood in the US in 2015, has been giving the slip to the mighty Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), who has declared him among the 10 Most Wanted fugitives, and the Indian Police, for nearly eight years.
$100,000 reward on information about Bhadresh Patel
The FBI has announced a reward of $100,000 for information on Bhadresh Patel, who hails from Viramgam in Ahmedabad. The US premier investigation agency calls Patel a “cold-murderer” and an “extremely dangerous” criminal. He allegedly killed his wife at a Dunkin' Donuts store in Hanover, Maryland, in a brutal manner.
The FBI's list of 10 most wanted dreaded fugitives is constantly updated and changed, but Patel continues to be there since 2017 and also in the latest list of 2019.
Patel killed wife brutally
According to County police detective Kally Harding, who helps the FBI in the investigation, said, “Patel's wife Palak was young and the scene was very brutal. She was killed in a horrible way, that's the kind of person (killer) we are dealing with.”
Bhadresh, who was then 24, and wife Palak, 21, were working in the night shift in the Dunkin' Donuts store on April 12, 2015. The store’s CCTV footage shows Bhadresh and Palak walking towards the kitchen before they disappear behind the racks.
After a few minutes, Patel emerges, switches off the kitchen oven and strolls out of the store as if nothing had happened. He appeared completely normal.
The FBI investigation disclosed that the body of Palak, found hours later at night, carried multiple stab wounds.
Patel checked in at a hotel after killing wife
After leaving the store, Bhadresh walked to his apartment nearby and soon hired a cab with some personal items to a hotel near the airport in Newark.
The taxi driver told the FBI that Patel appeared normal. He was looking normal during the ride. CCTV footage showed him checking into a hotel and paying cash for a room. He left the hotel the next morning.
FBI keeping tab on his friends, family
Since then, there has been no trace of Patel for eight years. The FBI and its vast network of informers have since been desperately looking for him. The hunt for Patel has even been launched in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Delhi.
Posters with Patel’s different photographs printed in English, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and in French have been circulated across the world at all possible places where he could hide.
According to sources, FBI's agent in Delhi is coordinating with different state police and law enforcement agencies to keep a tab on Patel's known friends and relatives.
