Police handcuffed the husband of a missing Virginia woman and placed him in a police cruiser Thursday morning while conducting a search of his Manassas Park home.
According to ABC 7, authorities executed a search warrant at the couple’s home three weeks after 28-year-old Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, was last seen on July 31. Her husband, Naresh Bhatt, reported her missing on August 5, three days after the welfare check.
He’s been charged with one felony count of transporting, secreting, concealing or altering a dead body.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo confirmed Bhatt’s husband reported her missing on August 5. When asked about the delay in reporting her missing, Naresh Bhatt told WUSA 9 that that was a question for police.
Meanwhile, according to the Washington Post, loved ones recalled a disagreement that led Bhatt to move in with friend Sarita Neupane Neupane for a week. The cause of the argument between the couple remains unclear.
Another friend, Nadia Navarro, told CrimeOnline’s Nancy Grace that she recalled the husband being controlling and “constantly” calling her when Bhaytt wasn’t home.
“He would call me on my phone constantly, and text me constantly,” Navarro, who temporarily lived with the couple, said. “He started to kind of control where I would go, too. At one point, I wanted to take Manta to an Indian store…..He wouldn’t really let her leave the house that was any further than five minutes.”
“He started calling us frantically and started yelling at me to turn around…I thought maybe he was worried for her.”
Lugo said during a Wednesday press conference that they have followed numerous leads and executed over 10 search warrants in the case, as well as hundreds of interviews related to the investigation.
Mamta is described as standing 5 feet tall and weighing around 130 pounds. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to contact Manassas Park police at 703-361-1136.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to the latest episode:
[Feature Photo: Mamta Kafle Bhatt/Facebook]
