NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
ACWORTH, Ga., Aug. 6, 2025 — Charges against Mahendra Patel, the man accused of attempting to kidnap a toddler from an Acworth Walmart earlier this year, were formally dismissed Wednesday after prosecutors moved to drop the case.
Patel, 57, was arrested in March after a mother, Caroline Miller, alleged he tried to take her 2‑year‑old child while she was shopping at the Walmart off Cobb Parkway. The indictment initially charged him with criminal attempt to commit kidnapping — later amended to attempted kidnapping — along with simple assault and simple battery, accusing Patel of causing “violent injury” by pulling on the child. Miller told investigators she was able to keep hold of her child, and that Patel ran off afterward.
Patel spent 45 days in jail before being released on a $10,000 bond in May. Throughout the case, he and his attorney, Ashleigh Merchant, maintained his innocence. Merchant challenged Miller’s credibility and pointed to store surveillance footage, which she argued showed Patel assisting the woman and not attempting to take the child.
During Wednesday’s hearing, the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office entered a “nolle prosequi” motion — a formal declaration to discontinue prosecution — effectively dismissing all charges. Prosecutors confirmed they had spoken with the alleged victim before making the decision. Patel attended the hearing with his family.
Earlier this year, when he was released on bond, Patel said he was completely blindsided by the arrest. “I couldn’t even dream of someone accusing me of something like this,” he recalled. “At first, I didn’t even know why they were arresting me. I thought they had the wrong guy.”
While in jail, Patel leaned on his faith, spending time reading the Bhagavad Gita, the sacred Hindu scripture. One moment stood out when a fellow inmate noticed him reading and asked if he could have a copy. “I told him, ‘Of course,’” Patel said. “We’ll send you ten if you want. It felt like a bigger, deeper message.”
A petition calling for his release garnered over 47,000 signatures, with supporters rallying outside the courthouse and spreading awareness nationwide. “I’m overwhelmed,” Patel said at the time. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay the support I’ve received.”
The case sparked widespread media attention and concern within Georgia’s Indian American community, with many questioning whether Patel’s arrest was a rush to judgment. Advocacy groups such as the South Asian Bar Association of Georgia and Asian Americans Advancing Justice–Atlanta called for due process and reviewed the video evidence, which they said raised doubts about the allegations.
Wednesday’s dismissal has been met with relief among supporters, though questions remain about the handling of the case and the weeks Patel spent behind bars.
