A Virginia man, Naresh Bhatt, was charged with Prohibition Against Concealment of a Dead Body after allegedly killing his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, at their Manassas Park home on July 30, 2024. Police obtained evidence suggesting Mamta’s body was inside the residence before being dragged out of the house. Naresh and Mamta had been together for over three years and shared a one-year-old daughter. Naresh initially provided false information during a welfare check, claiming his wife had gone to visit relatives in New York or Texas and destroyed her phone before leaving. However, authorities later discovered Mamta did not have relatives in those states and her phone remained active until August 1.
Naresh eventually reported Mamta missing on August 5, after failing to cooperate with investigators during the initial stages of the investigation. Authorities found evidence of a lack of contact between Mamta and her husband, friends, family, work, and social media between August 5 and August 8. Naresh expressed distress over his wife’s disappearance in interviews with news outlets, claiming that they were both suffering and pleading for her return. Detectives executed a search warrant at their home where they found blood splatter leading from the master bedroom to the bathroom’s bathtub. Additionally, Naresh had purchased knives and cleaning supplies suspected to have been involved in covering up a crime scene.
Investigators also discovered signs suggesting Naresh was attempting to flee Virginia, including a packed suitcase, missing clothes, a recently sold Tesla, and an attempt to sell his home. Naresh is being held without bond and is scheduled for a bond hearing. Mamta’s parents, who reside in Nepal, were granted an emergency visa to the US to care for their granddaughter. Naresh’s emotional responses to his wife’s disappearance raised suspicions, as he claimed that Mamta had disappeared multiple times in the past, but he had never called the police. Despite his attempts to portray himself as the victim in this case, evidence points to his involvement in the murder of his wife and subsequent attempts to conceal her body.
