Four months after his wife disappeared, a 37-year-old Indian-origin man has been charged with murder in the United States. Court documents show that months before his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, vanished, Naresh Bhatt searched on Google for “How long does it take to get married after spouse dies?”
According to Prince William County court documents, Naresh Bhatt, a resident of Manassas Park, Virginia, is also charged with defiling and concealing a body.
Originally from Nepal, Naresh and Mamta have lived in the United States. The Kathmandu Post reported that Naresh is from Kanchanpur, while Mamta’s family is from the Kavrepalanchok district of Nepal.
Bhatt served as Fairfax County police recruit and US Army Reserve logistics specialist and was formally charged in court on Tuesday. Bhatt was arrested on August 22 and denied bail in September.
Investigators’ suspicion that Mamta was murdered on July 29 was reinforced Monday night when authorities verified that DNA tests had identified blood found in the couple’s house as being that of Mamta.
When investigators searched the couple’s house, they found much evidence. There were pink stains on the carpet, blood splatter, and pools in the main bedroom. Something had been ‘dragged across the floor’ because more blood was found in the bathroom.
Additionally, investigators found that on the day he allegedly killed his wife, Bhatt had bought knives from a Walmart. Bhatt was also seen on security footage throwing away garbage bags in compactors and dumpsters after his wife vanished.
“Based on the crime scene, we thought she was murdered from the beginning,” Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo stated at a press conference. The evidence, he said, points to the dismemberment of her body. “I think we have a compelling argument.”
Mamta, a cherished member of the Nepalese community, was last seen on July 27 at her job as a registered nurse at UVA Health Prince William Medical Centre in Manassas.
Mamta was supposed to work on August 1 and August 2, and she worked at the hospital two days a week.
Police conducted a health check at the couple’s house on August 2 after coworkers expressed concern about her missing shifts at the hospital on 1 and 2.
Bhatt refused to declare his wife missing at the time. He claimed to have last seen her at supper on July 31 and formally reported her missing three days later, on August 5.
Bhatt was taken into custody after the house was searched on August 22. A judge denied his release in September, and he has been detained without bail ever since.
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