New York, March 11 The FBI has increased the reward for information about an Indian national wanted for allegedly killing his wife in 2015 to USD 1 million, significantly increasing the amount from the USD 250,000 previously offered.
Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel, 35, was last known to be in the Newark, New Jersey area. He is wanted for allegedly killing his wife, Palak Patel, by striking her multiple times with an object while they were both working at a donut shop in Hanover, Maryland, on April 12, 2015.
Patel is on the FBI’s list of ‘Ten Most Wanted Fugitives’, and the federal agency announced Tuesday that it is now offering a reward of up to USD 1 million for information leading to his arrest.
The FBI said it is “offering up to a USD 1 million reward, which is now the standard reward amount for fugitives placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, increasing from USD 250,000.”
Initially, the agency had offered a USD 100,000 reward for information about Patel, later increasing the amount to USD 250,000.
According to the federal agency, the enhanced amount reflects the "seriousness" of the crime and hopes it draws "greater attention” to the search for the suspect and delivers justice in the case.
Patel is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and possession of a dangerous weapon with intent to injure.
The federal agency said he should be considered armed and extremely dangerous.
“We hope this USD 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.”
Patel was named to the list in April 2017, becoming its 514th addition.
A federal arrest warrant was issued in the United States District Court, Maryland, on April 20, 2015, after Patel was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
According to a 2017 FBI press release, Patel and his wife worked the night shift at the donut shop, owned by a relative of Patel’s.
Investigators believe Patel allegedly stabbed his wife multiple times, killing her in a back room of the shop just before midnight on April 12, 2015, before fleeing.
According to the FBI, investigators theorise that Palak Patel, who was then 21, wanted to return to India—their visas had expired the month before—and her husband was against the idea.
“The best guess is that he didn’t want her to leave,” said Special Agent Jonathan Shaffer, who was investigating the case from the FBI’s Baltimore Division. “It’s possible that he thought he would be disgraced by her leaving and going back to India.”
Although the motive remains unclear, Shaffer had noted that after the crime, Patel’s "actions show a very cool and calculated mentality about escaping the scene and fleeing the area.”
Realising that Patel was an international flight risk, local police requested FBI assistance, and several days after the murder, a federal arrest warrant was issued charging Patel with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
Investigators believe that Patel could be with distant relatives in the US or that he could have fled to Canada.
“Or he could have travelled through Canada back to India,” Shaffer said. “Those are among the plausible options we are exploring,” according to the press release issued in 2017.