10 Years On, Indian Man Still On FBI's 'Most Wanted List'. Reward: $250,000

A Gujarati man, accused of killing his wife in Maryland in 2015, is still on the run and has now made his way to the FBI's ten most-wanted fugitive list.

Patel, 34, had allegedly killed his wife, Palak Patel, by striking her multiple times while they were working at a donut shop in Hanover, Maryland. On April 12, 2015, Patel lashed out at his wife and struck her several times with an object, which ultimately resulted in her death.

Since the murder, Patel has been on the loose. Eight days after the murder a federal arrest warrant was issued for Patel.

WANTED—considered armed and extremely dangerous! Help the #FBI find one of our Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel.

If you have any information on Patel, a 34-year-old wanted for the violent murder of his wife, contact the FBI. https://t.co/f4NEKw2Rvi pic.twitter.com/9TvpMPlIEp

— FBI (@FBI) January 15, 2025

Federal agents and county police officers met to recognise that its been 10 years since the homicide and to urge the community to help locate Bhadreshkumar Patel.

Per the FBI, has 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.

From what was visible on the CCTV footage, the couple headed towards the kitchen and disappeared from the view. A customer got suspicious after no one responded to his order. According to the FBI, he then alerted the police after finding Palak's body in the kitchen.

According to investigators, Palak Patel, who was 21 at the time, wanted to move to India, which he opposed. Their visas had also expired a month before the murder.

"The best guess is that he didn't want her to leave," Special Agent Jonathan Shaffer of the FBI's Baltimore Division said, after the FBI included Patel in their most wanted list. "It's possible he thought he would be disgraced by her leaving and returning to India," Shaffer said.

Police Chief Amal E. Awad also said that Palak Patel worked seven days a week to support her life in America and her family in India.

Officials now suspect that he might have fled back to India. His last known location was Newark, New Jersey area.

Special Agent Jonathan Shaffer from the FBI's Baltimore Division, stated in a 2017 statement that Patel might be staying with distant relatives in the US, from where he fled to Canada. "Or he could have travelled through Canada back to India,” Shaffer added.

Patel was added to the top 10 most wanted list in 2017. His bounty was thereafter increased from $100,000 to $250,000. The FBI has also called Patel "armed and extremely dangerous" and has asked the public for any information on him.

“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.”

“Our focus is not only on locating Palak's killer but also on understanding the circumstances that led to her tragic murder,” Awad said, adding the “unprovoked attack has left us with so many unanswered questions”, per The Baltimore Banner.