Why is Mahendra Patel Still in Jail?
An Indian American engineer has spent weeks behind bars in Georgia, even as new footage reveals a shocking lack of evidence.
When Mahendra Patel, 56, walked into a Walmart in Georgia on March 18, 2025 at 8:30 p.m. to buy Tylenol for his elderly mother, he never expected the simple shopping trip to take a dramatically dark turn. Unbeknownst to him, he was walking out with two assault charges and an attempted kidnapping allegation, would spend days behind bars (where he remains), and would have his mug shot plastered across news sites.
Then came the hate. “Deport him,” wrote one netizen. “Good! Put him away for the rest of his life,” said another. “Rope,” wrote another.
Patel’s community was stunned. The engineer had never been convicted of a crime. His lawyer, Ashleigh Merchant, said he was a good father and the only caregiver for his ailing mother. Yet, Patel has now spent 35 days — and counting — in Cobb County jail. Now, new video footage shows that Patel might be the latest victim of gross judicial injustice: there is no evidence he assaulted or attempted to kidnap anyone.