ATLANTA, Ga. (Diya TV) — A Georgia man who spent more than six weeks in jail after being accused of trying to kidnap a toddler at a Walmart has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, claiming wrongful prosecution and serious violations of his constitutional rights.
Mahendra Patel, 57, of Acworth, says the arrest turned his life upside down. He filed the complaint Monday in federal court in Atlanta. Patel argues that police and prosecutors ignored clear video evidence that showed he committed no crime. The lawsuit follows an incident in March 2025 that led to his arrest inside a Walmart Supercenter in Acworth.
Patel was shopping for medicine when a woman accused him of trying to abduct her 2-year-old son. The woman, identified in the lawsuit as Caroline Miller, told police that Patel attempted to take her child inside the store. Officers stopped Patel shortly after he left the store. According to the complaint, police pulled him over and arrested him at gunpoint…