US: Indian-origin man wrongfully jailed for over 40 days in false kidnapping case demands public apology from law enforcement

Speaking to NDTV, Mahendra Patel said: "I lost 17 pounds in jail. I didn't get my medicines for days. I'm vegetarian, so I lived on bread, peanut butter, and milk," he said. "Other inmates threatened me. One said, 'If I take you in the shower and beat you, what would you do?' Another demanded half a million dollars for protection."

"I demand a public apology from the police and the district attorney. They must also explain what steps they'll take so this never happens to another innocent person," he said.

Mahendra Patel, 62, was arrested in March after a woman in Walmart accused him of trying to grab her two-year-old son from a mobility scooter.

After Patel was indicted by a grand jury on charges of criminal attempt to commit kidnapping, simple assault and simple battery on April 3, he was held in the Cobb County jail for 47 days.

Patel’s lawyer, however, says surveillance videos prove he was just trying to make sure the boy didn’t fall from the scooter, reported CNN.

The charges against Patel were later dropped.

He was released on a $10,000 bond in early May after his lawyer, Ashleigh Merchant, presented her case as to why he should be released by showing the judge a compilation of security footage she subpoenaed from Walmart and shared with media outlets, CNN reported.

According to reports, the case had drawn wide attention with 90,000 people signing a petition to call for his release.