FBI to take over hate crime probe at Santa Fe's India Palace
Oct. 16—The Albuquerque Division of the FBI will assume the lead role in the India Palace vandalism investigation, it announced Friday.
The downtown restaurant was forced to renovate after its walls were spray-painted with racial slurs, windows were shattered and interior was heavily damaged during an attack by vandals in June 2020.
Over a year after what investigating agencies labeled a hate crime, Santa Fe police have not filed any charges or named any suspects.
The department hasn't ruled out that people associated with therestaurant were involved in the vandalism, Deputy Chief Ben Valdez said in a news release.
"This crime has attracted considerable local and national attention," Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda wrote in an FBI news release. "I want to thank the Santa Fe Police Department for all the work they have done on this case. We are determined to find whoever is responsible for what happened at the India Palace and bring them to justice."
Deputy Chief Paul Joye said in the news release Santa Fe police are grateful for the FBI's help and plan to continue participating in the investigation.
The FBI asked anyone with information to contact the office at 505-889-1300 or Santa Fe Police Department investigators at 505-955-5257.
