ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. — As the search for Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel continues, authorities are raising the reward for information leading to his arrest.
On Tuesday, the FBI and Anne Arundel County Police held a joint press conference to announce the monetary reward for information leading to Bhadreshkumar's arrest has risen to $1 million.
Bhadreshkumar is accused of murdering his wife, Palak Patel, during their shift at a Dunkin' Donuts in Hanover in April 2015.
Police told WMAR-2 News that the Patels' work visas had expired and that Palak wanted to return to her home country of India, while Bhadreshkumar did not.
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According to investigators, Bhadreshkumar stabbed Palak multiple times in a back room just before midnight, then fled the area.
After leaving the Dunkin', Bhadreshkumar walked across the street to the apartment he shared with Palak, retrieved a few items and some cash, then hailed a taxi.
That cab driver took him to a hotel in New Jersey near Newark Liberty International Airport.
Bhadreshkumar checked in around 3 a.m. with no bags. He checked out around 10 a.m. and took a hotel shuttle to Newark Penn Station — his last confirmed sighting, according to authorities.
Two years after Palak's murder, Bhadreshkumar was named to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, becoming the 514th addition.
"We hope this $1 million reward attracts greater attention to our tireless search for Bhadreshkumar Patel and leads to the 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."
Anyone with information regarding Bhadreshkumar should not approach him, as he is considered armed and extremely dangerous.
If you have information, call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
All tips can remain anonymous.
