BALTIMORE (WBFF) — The reward for information leading to the arrest of FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive Bhadreshkumar Patel has increased to $1 million, federal and local authorities announced Tuesday.
Jonathan Shaffer, an FBI Special Agent, and Vincent Carbonaro, a detective with the Anne Arundel County Police Department’s Homicide Unit, made the announcement on March 10, 2026.
Jonathan Shaffer (left) Vincent Carbonaro (right) (WBFF/Morgan Pravato)
Bhadreshkumar Patel is accused of violently murdering his wife, Palak Patel, nearly 11 years ago.
According to investigators, 21-year-old Palak was killed on April 12, 2015, while working at a Dunkin’ Donuts in the 7000 block of Arundel Mills Boulevard in Hanover, Maryland.
Authorities say she and her husband were working together that night when an argument erupted after Palak spoke with family members and expressed her desire to return home to India to reunite with loved ones.
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Police allege that the conversation enraged Bhadreshkumar, who then allegedly stabbed his wife to death in a back room just before midnight.
Following the killing, investigators say Bhadreshkumar fled the area.
Authorities believe he returned briefly to the couple’s apartment to gather belongings before taking a taxi to New Jersey.
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His last known sighting was at Newark Penn Station on April 13, 2015.
He has not been seen since.
Bhadreshkumar Patel at the Best Western Hotel in Newark, NJ
“[We want to] bring closure for Palak’s family, who still has been in communication with us. And they have not lost hope that one day Bhadreshkumar Patel will be arrested and brought back to Anne Arundel County to face justice for what he did,” said Carbonaro.
In 2017, Bhadreshkumar was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List with an initial reward of $100,000.
That amount was later increased to $250,000.
With Tuesday’s announcement, the reward now stands at $1 million.
“We hope this $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.”
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Bhadreshkumar Patel is described by police as standing 5′ 9″, approximately 165 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
He should be considered armed and extremely dangerous, according to investigators.
Anyone with information concerning Bhadreshkumar Patal should take no action themselves but should immediately call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
All information can remain anonymous, and confidentiality is guaranteed.
Individuals calling from outside of the United States should contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
“I would just emphasize that with the increase in the award to $1 million that we hope that someone out there that is familiar with Bhadreshkumar Patel knows his whereabouts, that they are motivated now to come forward with that information and that the FBI will do everything in its power to help them remain anonymous if they so desire,” said Shaffer. “That someone out there knows him, knows where he is. And that we hope that they come forward now to help us bring them to justice.”
Authorities emphasize that even the smallest piece of information could help bring long-awaited justice in this case.
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