Georgia: An Indian-origin man in Georgia, United States, has demanded a public apology after being jailed for 47 days on false kidnapping charges.
Mahendra Patel, 62, was accused of attempting to abduct a child from a Walmart in Acworth earlier this year, before surveillance footage later proved his innocence.
Arrest and prison ordeal
Patel was indicted on April 3 by a grand jury on charges of criminal attempt to commit kidnapping, simple assault, and simple battery after a woman alleged he tried to grab her two-year-old son. He was taken into custody and held in Cobb County jail for over a month.
Speaking to NDTV about his time in prison, Patel said he lost 17 pounds and struggled without access to medication. “I didn’t get my medicines for days. I’m vegetarian, so I lived on bread, peanut butter, and milk. Other inmates threatened me. One said, ‘If I take you in the shower and beat you, what would you do?’ Another demanded half a million dollars for protection,” he recalled.
He added that he was subjected to online abuse during the case, with people calling for his deportation and even suggesting he should be burnt alive.
Surveillance Footage Clears Charges
The complainant, identified as 26-year-old Caroline Miller, had accused Patel of grabbing her child while she was shopping with her two children on a motorised cart. However, CCTV footage from the Walmart store contradicted her claim and showed Patel only attempting to prevent the child from falling.
Following the evidence, Patel was cleared of all charges. Now, he has called on authorities to publicly acknowledge the mistake. “I demand a public apology from the police and the district attorney. They must also explain what steps they’ll take so this never happens to another innocent person,” Patel told NDTV.
