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Indian-origin woman shot dead inside US supermarket; attack caught on cam

Local police arrived at the scene immediately after receiving information about the incident, cordoned off the area, and launched an investigation.

Updated on: May 26, 2026, 16:31:42 IST
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A 45-year-old Indian woman from Gujarat was reportedly shot dead during a suspected robbery bid at a supermarket in Virginia, United States.

Meghnaben Patel is survived by her husband, Upendrabhai Patel, daughter, Nakshi, and son, Smith. (X/@leaklive1)
Meghnaben Patel is survived by her husband, Upendrabhai Patel, daughter, Nakshi, and son, Smith. (X/@leaklive1)

The victim, identified as Meghnaben Patel, had been working at the supermarket for the last 10 years, NDTV reported.

Local police arrived at the scene immediately after receiving information about the incident, cordoned off the area, and launched an investigation.

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Special teams were also reportedly deployed to arrest the attacker.

Attack caught on cam

In a purported video doing the rounds on social media, a man is seen entering the supermarket wearing animal-print pants, a full-sleeved jacket, a face mask and gloves.

He is seen interacting with Patel, seemingly posing as a potential customer.

The man is then seen shoving his hands in his pockets, moving in front of the counter for a minute before pulling a gun from his jacket.

He shoots Patel twice as she collapses on the floor, and jumps on the counter to take a final shot before fleeing the scene.

HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

Who was Meghnaben Patel?

Meghnaben Patel hailed from Jantral village in the Bijapur area of Gujarat's Mehsana district, according to The Daily Jagran.

She is survived by her husband, Upendrabhai Patel, daughter, Nakshi, and son, Smith.

Her parents, Karsanbhai, and mother, Kapilaben, are reportedly living in Jantral.

The deceased was a very loving and simple-minded woman, the Daily Jagran reported, citing villagers.

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Earlier in March, a 22-year-old man from Samoura village in Indri sub-division of Haryana's Karnal district was reportedly shot dead at his rented apartment in Georgia, US.

The deceased, Chetak Sharma, alias Laakha, had illegally immigrated to the US in 2024 after finishing school, in search of better financial prospects to support his family.

Sharma, who worked as a storekeeper, was found shot dead inside his room.

Sharma's family, which took a Rs50 lakh loan to send Chetak abroad, had appealed to the government and social organisations to assist in repatriating his body for the last rites.

  • Asmita Ravi Shankar
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Asmita Ravi Shankar

    Asmita Ravi Shankar is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times, based in New Delhi. She covers breaking news and focuses on crime, geopolitics, and the domestic political landscape. She has an eye for the intricacies in criminal investigations and a keen interest in how diplomacy and complexities affect politics, within India and globally. She has written extensively about Operation Sindoor, the Iran-US conflict, elections in India, Trump tariffs and diplomacy. Asmita also engages in multimedia storytelling, using interactive elements to enhance readers' news experience and build a high-traffic news ecosystem. With nearly three years of experience in the journalism industry, Asmita has been with HT for a little over a year. She has previously worked with online news teams at Outlook India and Network18, covering a wide range of beats and building her specialisation. In HT, she has been recognised for her comprehensive reportage and her contribution to coverage of the Bihar assembly election results, having single-handedly driven over 2 million users on that day. Asmita earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, the University of Delhi. She went on to earn a postgraduate diploma in integrated journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, sharpening her skills in multimedia storytelling, editing and sourcing to enrich her reportage. Additionally, Asmita holds a degree in Bharatanatyam from the Pracheen Kala Kendra. She is also a teacher of the Indian classical dance form. When not working on news, Asmita can be found dancing, binge-watching true crime docu-series, cooking and exploring various genres of music.Read More

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