The husband of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a 28-year-old Virginia mother who has been missing for over three weeks, has been charged with concealing a body in connection with her disappearance, which has received an outpour of community attention and prompted authorities to conduct hundreds of interviews and execute 10 related search warrants.
The husband, Naresh Bhatt, was taken away in handcuffs outside the couple’s home Thursday morning, according to video from CNN affiliate WJLA.
The husband faces a felony charge of prohibition against concealment of a body, according to Manassas Park Police. The wife has yet to be found and the investigation into her disappearance is ongoing.
An infant was also carried out of the home under a yellow blanket, video shows, and police say the couple’s young daughter is being looked after by a caregiver approved by the Department of Social Services.
The couple’s home was searched by detectives Wednesday, police said, though no details were provided on the evidence that led Naresh Bhatt’s arrest.
CNN reached out to Bhatt before his arrest. He will be arraigned Friday morning, according to court records.
The last time Bhatt saw his wife was at the dinner table more than three weeks ago, he previously told police.
He hadn’t seen her since and stopped cooperating with investigators, according to Manassas Park Police.
Kafle Bhatt was last seen on July 27 at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center in Manassas, according to police. The next day, she spoke with a friend and on July 31, she was last seen by her husband.
On August 2, police conducted a welfare check at the couple’s home and spoke to her husband, who “provided additional information” and told investigators he didn’t want to report her as missing at the time, police said. Three days later, he reported her missing, authorities said in a news release on August 15.
The welfare check request came from Kafle Bhatt’s work colleagues, CNN affiliate WUSA reported.
Detectives conducted an exhaustive investigation from August 5-8, they said, and found there was significant lack of recent contact between Kafle Bhatt and her family, friends, employer and on social media, so they elevated her missing status to involuntary/critical missing person status.
“While I acknowledge and respect the public’s concerns for answers I assure each of you that although these answers are limited by this continuing to be an active investigation and process, this investigation remains a top priority for the police department,” Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo said during a Wednesday news conference.
Investigators have executed 10 search warrants and conducted “hundreds of interviews related to to this case,” Lugo shared Wednesday evening as a search warrant on the Bhatt residence was underway.
When asked Wednesday if there was a “person of interest” in Kafle Bhatt’s disappearance, Lugo said her husband has “been a point of interest and everybody knows that,” adding that he has not been cooperative with police, a departure from the department’s initial release on August 15, where they said “the husband, friends and co-workers have all been cooperative throughout the investigation and detectives will continue to follow up on all investigative leads to locate Mamta Kafle.”
In an interview with WUSA last week, Bhatt said he was worried about where his wife may be and that this wasn’t the first time she had gone missing.
Although she’s disappeared three times before, she had never been gone this long, Bhatt said.
“I’m the one who is suffering,” he told WUSA. “She is my baby’s mom. She is my wife. I’m the one suffering, so I don’t know what I’m supposed to say.”
A community looking for answers
Madan Uprety, the president of the Nepali American Community Center in Manassas, told WUSA the group has established a line of communication with police, talking to authorities every day for updates on the investigation.
A friend launched a community Facebook group on August 10 to “raise awareness and coordinate search efforts” for Kafle Bhatt, its first post reads. Since its inception, the page has been updated daily with flyer distribution efforts, search and rescue details along with photos of Kafle Bhatt.
A GoFundMe has also been launched to fund the search efforts for Kafle Bhatt.
If anyone has information on Kafle Bhatt’s whereabouts, they are encouraged to contact Manassas Park Police at 703-361-1136. Anonymous tips can also be shared with Manassas Park Crime Solvers at 703-330-0330 or manassascrimesolvers.org.
CNN’s Braden Walker contributed to this report.