'I lost 17 pounds in jail': Indian-origin man wrongfully jailed for 47 days in US demands public apology, shares 'harrowing' ordeal

Indian-origin man jailed in false US kidnapping case

A 62-year-old Indian-origin man, Mahendra Patel, is demanding a public apology from law enforcement authorities in Georgia after spending 47 days in jail over what turned out to be a false accusation of attempted kidnapping.

“I demand a public apology from the police and the district attorney. They must also explain what steps they’ll take so this never happens to another innocent person," Patel told NDTV in an interview.

Patel was arrested in March after a woman at a Walmart in Georgia alleged that he had tried to snatch her two-year-old son from a mobility scooter. A Cobb County grand jury indicted him on April 3 on charges including criminal attempt to commit kidnapping, simple assault, and simple battery. He was held in Cobb County jail for nearly seven weeks.

However, surveillance footage later revealed that Patel was, in fact, trying to prevent the child from falling, not abduct him. As a result, all charges against him were dropped earlier this month.

Patel described his time in jail as a "harrowing" experience, saying it had irreparably damaged both his life and reputation.

“I lost 17 pounds in jail. I didn’t get my medicines for days. I’m vegetarian, so I lived on bread, peanut butter, and milk. Other inmates threatened me. One said, ‘If I take you in the shower and beat you, what would you do?’ Another demanded half a million dollars for protection," Patel was quoted as saying by NDTV.

He also recalled being abused on social media, people used to demand deportation, and some even said that he should be burnt alive.