Ahmedabad: The body of a 60-year-old American NRI with severe facial injuries was found on a muddy path near Akalpya Farm on Garodia-Manipur Road, on the outskirts of the district. Deepak Patel, a green card holder who had been living in Los Angeles since 2016, had returned to India with his wife, Alpa, just two months ago. The couple had recently moved to Palm Beach Bungalows in Thaltej on November 11, after initially staying in the Judges’ Bungalow area.

In the complaint filed with Bopal Police, Alpa stated that Deepak left their residence around midnight on Thursday after receiving a phone call. He told Alpa he would return in an hour, but when he failed to come back and stopped answering her calls and messages, she alerted their children in the US. They advised her to use the Find My Device app, which traced Deepak’s mobile location to Garodia-Manipur Road.

Alpa waited until 7:30 am on Friday for his return. When he didn’t show up, she contacted her relatives, Kalpesh and Chandrika Patel, for assistance. The three of them drove to the location, where they found Deepak’s body in the bushes after spotting his shoes. The body showed severe facial trauma.

According to the FIR, Alpa suspects he was killed on the road and then dragged into the bushes. Kalpesh called the police, and a team from Santej police arrived at the scene. However, there was initial confusion over jurisdiction, as Santej police directed them to Bopal police. Alpa then contacted Bopal police, who registered a murder case and began the investigation. Senior officials, including Ahmedabad Rural SP Om Prakash Jat and Sanand DSP Neelam Goswami, visited the crime scene with a team, forensic experts, and a dog squad to help track down the suspects.

Alpa believes that financial troubles may have been the motive for her husband’s murder, as he had been dealing with significant financial stress in recent weeks. The police are following this lead to identify and apprehend those responsible.

Investigators have also found that Deepak took Kalpesh’s silver car (GJ-18-BD-9209) on the night of his death, which is now missing. The police are reviewing his phone records and financial transactions, as Alpa had mentioned that Deepak had been receiving unsettling calls recently. Two individuals, Munna and Ishwar, have been identified as suspects during the inquiry. DeshGujarat