'A simple trip became nightmare': Indian-origin man jailed in US over false Walmart kidnapping sues police

Indian-origin man sues after false Walmart kidnapping accusation in US. (Image: Agbor group/ Facebook)

An Indian-American man is now seeking legal action after spending six weeks in jail over a false accusation of attempting to kidnap a toddler at a Walmart store in Georgia. The case has drawn attention to questions of wrongful arrests and the role of evidence in criminal investigations.

Mahendra Patel, 57, was arrested on 24 March 2025 after Caroline Miller, the mother of a two-year-old boy, accused him of attempting to abduct her son at a Walmart in Acworth, Georgia, USA.

As reported by ABC News, Miller said she was shopping with her two children when Patel tried to take her child, resulting in what she described as a “tug of war.” She first reported the incident to a Walmart employee and later contacted the police. Patel was held at Cobb County Jail for 46 days. From the start, he denied the allegations and was supported by surveillance footage showing that he had not attempted to kidnap the child.

Patel said that on 18 March 2025, he had been shopping at Walmart when he asked Miller for directions to Tylenol. He noticed her son losing his balance and reached out to prevent him from falling. Minutes later, Miller told a Walmart employee that Patel had tried to kidnap her son. Police were contacted after that.

However, the footage showed Patel calmly walking past Miller and showing her the Tylenol. At one point, she appeared to give him a thumbs-up, contradicting her account of events.

Patel said he was released on bond after six weeks. The case against him was dismissed in August 2025 after the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office said both parties had reached a resolution.

In September 2025, Patel sent the City of Acworth a notice of a potential lawsuit seeking $25 million. He now plans to sue Miller and the police, describing the experience as a “nightmare.” “It affected me financially, emotionally, mentally. My family's been through hell. We've been through a nightmare for months and months,” Patel told Fox5.

He further explained, "A simple trip in Walmart to get a Tylenol turned into a nightmare. I went to get a Tylenol, and I got the biggest headache of my life."

According to 11 Alive, Patel said the surveillance footage had been crucial. He explained, "That literally saved my life. Imagine if there was no Walmart video...it was her words against my words, and I would never see daylight."

The lawsuit claims the charges were filed even though the CCTV footage showed no use of force or attempt to remove the child from the mother’s custody.

Marc Grossman, one of Patel’s lawyers, said, "Civil rights are meaningless if police and prosecutors can knowingly proceed with false charges and face no accountability. This lawsuit seeks to hold every responsible party accountable for what the complaint describes as a deliberate abuse of power."

Disclaimer: This report is based on information curated from multiple media sources. Moneycontrol has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.