Cobb man Mahendra Patel accused of trying to kidnap child from Walmart sues

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A Kennesaw man previously accused of trying to kidnap a child from a Walmart in Acworth has filed a federal lawsuit alleging the charges wrongfully upended his life.

Mahendra Patel filed the lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court against the Acworth Police Department and the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office, saying authorities lacked probable cause when they charged him in March 2025 with attempted kidnapping, assault and battery.

Patel, 56, was arrested after a woman at the store on Cobb Parkway told police he tried to take her 2-year-old son. He spent 46 days in the Cobb County Jail before prosecutors dropped the charges months later.

Patel’s attorneys say surveillance video shows he was innocent and that he was merely trying to assist the woman. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages for the financial, emotional and reputational harm Patel says he suffered.

“It affected me financially, emotionally, mentally,” Patel said in a statement. “My family’s been through hell.”

The Cobb County District Attorney’s Office said it is reviewing the lawsuit and declined further comment. The city of Acworth did not immediately respond to a request for comment.