Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel

Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel (born May 15, 1990) is an Indian fugitive wanted under suspicion of murdering his wife Palak Patel at a Dunkin' Donuts store in Hanover, Maryland, in the United States on April 13, 2015. He was last seen at Newark Penn Station in Newark, New Jersey, the day after the killing. He was added to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on April 18, 2017. Bhadreshkumar was the 514th fugitive to be placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

Background Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel was born on May 15, 1990 in Viramgam, Gujarat, India. In November 2013, he married Palak Patel, and the couple came together to visit relatives in the United States in September 2014. Bhadreshkumar was 24 at the time, while Palak was 21.

Killing

On the night of April 12, 2015, Bhadreshkumar and Palak were working a night shift at a Dunkin' Donuts located on Arundel Mills Boulevard in Hanover, Maryland. The store was owned by a relative of Bhadreshkumar whom the couple were visiting. Surveillance footage showed Bhadreshkumar and Palak walking together in the kitchen at around 9:30 p.m. before disappearing out of view behind some racks. Moments later, Bhadreshkumar re-emerged without his wife, turned off an oven, and left the store.

Aftermath Customers arriving at the Dunkin' Donuts store grew concerned when no employees came to serve them. A police officer who happened to be near the store was approached by concerned customers and checked out the scene. Upon searching the store, the officer found Palak's body. Police then checked the surveillance video and realized the killer was likely Bhadreshkumar, who had vanished. Bhadreshkumar was not identified as the suspect until over an hour after the killing, giving him time to escape.

After the killing of Palak, Bhadreshkumar fled the store and returned to his nearby apartment on foot. He took some personal items and then got a cab to a hotel near Newark Liberty International Airport. The taxi driver reported that Bhadreshkumar was very calm during the journey. He checked into a hotel in Newark and was seen on surveillance video at the counter paying in cash for a room. He checked out the following morning.

Investigation Authorities believe Bhadreshkumar could have fled the country or could be hiding with relatives. He had a visa to be in the U.S., but it had expired by the time he carried out the killing. A report stated that because of this, there was no indication he was able to legally leave the country.