Disappearance of Mamta Bhatt: Husband Naresh Bhatt arrested in Virginia, charged with hiding body, suspicion of murder

A 37-year-old man of Indian descent was arrested in the US state of Virginia for allegedly concealing his wife's body more than three weeks after her disappearance.

Naresh Bhatt, who has not been formally charged with murder, was taken into custody Thursday after police executed a search warrant on the couple's home. Bhatt faces charges of violating the prohibition of concealing bodies in connection with the disappearance of his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28.

CNN reported that investigators found blood spatter in the master bedroom that led to the bathroom's bathtub, but DNA has not yet been tested. Investigators also found that Bhatt had purchased knives at Walmart on July 30, the day he allegedly killed his wife.

According to police, Bhatt last saw his wife on July 31, but did not report her missing until August 5, after authorities began investigating her disappearance.

“On or about July 30, 2024, the defendant Naresh Bhatt murdered his wife Mamta Bhatt. The incident occurred at their residence in the city of Manassas Park,” a police report said.

Bhatt reportedly told police that Mamta had travelled to New York or Texas to visit relatives and destroyed her phone before leaving. However, investigators found no evidence of relatives in either state and revealed that her phone continued to receive data between July 29 and August 1, when it finally died.

There was also evidence that Mamta's body was inside the house before she was “dragged” out of the house.

“During the course of this investigation, numerous digital and forensic pieces of evidence were secured that are related to her death,” prosecutors said in court on Friday.

The couple had been married for over three years and had a one-year-old daughter, who is currently in the care of the Social Services Department since Bhatt's arrest. Mamta's parents, who live in Nepal, were granted an emergency visa to the United States to take custody of their granddaughter.

In interviews with news outlets before his arrest, Bhatt expressed his concern over his wife's disappearance. “I'm the one who's suffering,” he told WUSA9. “She's the mother of my baby. She's my wife. I'm the one who's suffering, so I don't know what to say.”

Bhatt, a former U.S. Army Reserve automated logistics specialist, served from June 2017 to February 2024. Investigators believe he was preparing to flee Virginia because they found a packed suitcase and missing clothing. He had also recently sold his Tesla and was trying to sell his home.