Mahendra Patel Seeks $25 Million as New Details Emerge

Exclusive: The retired Indian American engineer is fighting back — with a legal filing exposing the full horror of his 46 days in jail.

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Mahendra Patel, 57, appears for his bond hearing at Cobb County Superior Court in Marietta, Ga., on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Patel, who was accused of trying to kidnap a child at a Walmart in March, was in the Cobb jail for more than 40 days without bond. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Snigdha Sur

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October 15, 2025

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9 min

By now, you’re probably familiar with the case. It all started when Mahendra Patel, then 56, walked into a Walmart in Georgia on March 18 around 8:20 p.m. to buy Tylenol for his elderly mother. He walked out with two assault charges and an attempted kidnapping allegation. Patel spent 46 days behind bars (including his 57th birthday) and had his mug shot plastered across news sites. The Acworth Police Department initially claimed Patel had kidnapped fellow Walmart shopper Caroline Miller’s child and “fled the area.” District Attorney Sonya Allen refused him bond.

Even though Walmart footage showed that nothing of the kind had occurred, Patel’s nightmare continued. While in jail, he didn’t receive his blood pressure medication, vegetarian meals, or toilet paper for days. Inmates called him a child kidnapper and threatened to beat him up in the shower. He slept in the cold because he didn’t have a mattress or blanket. By the time he got out, he had lost 17 pounds. 

Now, the retired Indian American engineer is fighting back. In an exclusive report, The Juggernaut spoke to sources close to the story and reviewed new details from his ante litem, which reveal a far more devastating picture than anyone had imagined. 

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