ACWORTH, GA. — A Georgia man who spent 43 days behind bars after being wrongfully accused of trying to kidnap a child at a Walmart is now suing the city for $25 million, claiming his life was destroyed by the false allegations.
According to court documents and viral reports, Mahendra Patel was arrested and denied bond after a woman accused him of grabbing her toddler at a Walmart store. Police quickly tracked Patel down using surveillance footage, arrested him on attempted kidnapping charges, and jailed him for more than a month — before the same video footage proved his innocence.
False Accusation Sparked Police Hunt
Authorities say the case began when a mother shopping with her young daughter called police, claiming that Patel had “suddenly reached for her toddler” in what she described as an attempted kidnapping.
Police used Walmart’s security cameras to identify Patel’s vehicle and arrested him soon after. He was booked, denied bail, and held for six weeks while investigators reviewed the evidence…