A husband accused of murdering his wife and hiding her body allegedly conducted incriminating internet searches before she disappeared.
Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, a pediatric nurse from Manassas Park, Virginia, was last seen on July 28. She missed her daughter’s first birthday and is presumed dead.
Her husband, Naresh Bhatt, 37, has been charged with concealing a body, but while prosecutors allege he did, they have not yet charged him with murder.
Naresh searched in April for ‘how long does it take to get married after husband dies’ and ‘what happens to debts of deceased husband’, prosecutors alleged in court on Monday.
Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, a pediatrician from Manassas Park, Virginia, was last seen on July 28, missing her daughter’s first birthday, and is presumed dead.
Her husband Naresh Bhatt, 37, has been charged with concealing a body, but although prosecutors say he did it, they have not yet charged him with murder.
He used his work computer to conduct the searches and the U.S. Secret Service, with which he has ties and a security clearance, turned over the search history to police.
The prosecution also revealed that Naresh had sold his Tesla a few days before his arrest on August 22, but that police have tracked down the car at a local dealership and are now searching the car’s computer.
Naresh also tried to sell the family’s house and police found that upon arrival he had packed their belongings, including his and his daughter’s passports.
Police used blue light to find bloodstains throughout the couple’s cleaned bedroom and bathroom, as well as evidence that a body had been dragged through the house.
The defense attorneys claimed in court that the blood was from a nosebleed.
Mamta was last seen on July 27 at her work at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center and spoke to a friend on the phone on July 28, police said.
She also posted a video on her TikTok that same day showing her daughter climbing the stairs.
Mamta’s husband, Naresh Bhatt, was named as a person of interest in the case and has not cooperated with the investigation, police said. He was marched out of their home in handcuffs today
The couple in front of their Virginia home when Mamta was pregnant
On August 2, police came to the home for a welfare check after she failed to show up for work and co-workers became concerned.
Naresh told them he last saw his wife on July 31 and that he did not want to report her missing because she was with family in Texas.
However, Mamta, who is of Nepalese descent, has no family in the U.S., prosecutors and friends said.
Three days later, Naresh finally reported her missing and made a tearful, public appeal for her to come home.
However, police believe he lied about the timeline and that Mamta was already dead on July 31.
The prosecutors also told the court about the allegations of domestic violence that Mamta had made against her husband.
She alleged to Manassas Park police that Naresh destroyed her phone and refused to hand over her passport and other important documents.
Naresh claimed she destroyed her own phone, but prosecutors say the phone continued to receive messages and calls until August 1, when it broke.
The court heard that friends had told police they had seen bruises on her body and had offered to help her leave the allegedly abusive marriage.
Bhatt’s shocking arrest comes days after he made an emotional TV plea for his wife’s safe return
Officers search the contents of the home and are located behind the home
In February, Mamta posted on the Facebook group “Separated, Divorced, Single Moms of Virginia, Maryland and DC” that she has a six-month-old baby and is going through a divorce.
“I work 2 days a week and my husband doesn’t help with the baby. He says if I leave the baby with him, he will send the child to custody. Is that possible? I need help with childcare,” she said.
‘I need help and advice from a social worker.’
Robin Kuppusamy, the missing mother’s friend, shared her concerns about her friend in a post on August 12.
“Several women and myself spoke to her through our divorce group on Facebook seeking help for her as she wanted to leave her husband and then went off the grid,” Kuppusamy wrote.
She added: ‘She would never have abandoned her daughter.’
Mamta also shared that she and her husband were still living together but she had no money left. She wrote, in part, ‘I also have no money now, he has withdrawn all the money from the joint account’
Social media posts reveal that Mamta had asked for help from other mothers in the area
Manassas Park City Police Chief Mario Lugo said at a news conference Wednesday that they have a few people of interest in the case, including Bhatt. He added that he is “not cooperating with them in their investigation.”
Earlier in the day, a search warrant was executed at the family home. During the press conference, Lugo confirmed that Mamta’s husband was not cooperating with the investigation, the local Fox5 DC reported.
Since her disappearance, he and his team have been actively searching for the young mother and investigating every lead, according to police.
So far, he said there have been over 100 leads and they have executed over 10 search warrants. Forensics are also involved.
He explained that detectives have also been in contact with the Nepalese community.
On August 14, Bhatt attended an unscheduled press conference with community leaders and concerned neighbors, which took place outside the police station.
He then expressed his gratitude to the community for their help, saying, “I need your help in a positive way. Thank you for doing what you do, keep doing what you do during this difficult time.”
She asked one of the women in the post that she had no money because he had withdrawn it all from a joint account
He too told the news agency that his wife’s disappearance had taken a heavy toll on him and his 11-month-old daughter.
“I’m really tired. Tired, exhausted — physically, mentally, economically. I’m suffering,” he told the news outlet. “I’m suffering a lot.”
That same day, nearly a dozen volunteers searched the Blooms Park Trail, where Matma often went with her daughter.
Her husband is said not to have participated.
Sammy Choudhary, a friend and neighbor of the missing woman who helped organize the search, became emotional while speaking to Fox5 DC.
“If something happens to her. I want her to get justice. I don’t think anyone should have to go through this. Someone is missing.”