The husband of a 28-year-old Virginia mother who had been missing for nearly three weeks was handcuffed and taken away by police late Thursday morning.
Naresh Bhatt was a suspect in the disappearance of his wife Mamta Kafle Bhatt, who was last seen at the family’s Manassas Park home on July 31.
His arrest comes after police executed a search warrant at their home. It was not immediately clear what charges police have filed against Bhatt.
Shocking new details have revealed that the pediatric nurse was planning to divorce her husband.
She confided to the group that her husband had taken all her money out of their joint bank account, and asked if she could get advice from a social worker about custody of their 11-month-old daughter.
Mamta Kafle was last seen at her Manassas Park home on July 31. When the pediatric nurse failed to show up for work on August 2, a coworker alerted police to conduct a welfare check
Matma’s husband, Naresh Bhatt, was named as a person of interest in the case and did not cooperate with the investigation, police said.
In February, Mamta posted on the Facebook group “Separated, Divorced, Single Moms of Virginia, Maryland and DC” that she has a six-month-old baby and is going through a divorce.
“I work 2 days a week and my husband doesn’t help with the baby. He says if I leave the baby with him, he will send the child to the custody. Is that possible? I need help with childcare, she said,
‘I need help and advice from a social worker.’
Robin Kuppusamy, the missing mother’s friend, shared her concerns about her friend in a post on August 12.
“Several women and I spoke to her through our divorce group on Facebook seeking help for her as she wanted to leave her husband and then disappeared off the radar,” Kuppsamy wrote.
She added: ‘She would never have abandoned her daughter.’
Mamta also shared that she and her husband were still living together but she had no money left. She wrote, in part, ‘I also have no money now, he has withdrawn all the money from the joint account’
Mamta, a pediatric nurse, failed to show up for work on August 2. A colleague alerted the police to conduct a welfare check.
Bhatt told police at the time that his wife was not missing, but on August 5, six days after her disappearance, he filed a missing person report.
He told police he hadn’t done it before because he was following their instructions.
The couple in front of their Virginia home when Mamta was pregnant
In February, Mamta posted a message to the Facebook group Separated, Divorced, Single Moms of Virginia, Maryland and DC saying she needed advice from a social worker
She asked one of the women in the post that she had no money because he had withdrawn it all from a joint account
Manassas Park City Police Chief Mario Lugo said at a news conference Wednesday that they have a few people of interest in the case, including Bhatt. He added that he is “not cooperating with them in their investigation.”
Earlier in the day, a search warrant was executed at the family home. During the press conference, Lugo confirmed that Mamta’s husband was not cooperating with the investigation, the local Fox5 DC reported.
Matma, who is of Napalese descent, has no family living in the United States, but does have friends.
Since her disappearance, he and his team have been actively searching for the young mother and investigating every lead, according to police.
So far, he said there have been over 100 leads and they have executed over 10 search warrants. Forensics are also involved.
He explained that detectives have also been in contact with the Nepalese community.
Matma pictured with her baby daughter before she disappeared almost three weeks ago
On August 14, Bhatt attended an unscheduled press conference with community leaders and concerned neighbors, which took place outside the police station.
He then expressed his gratitude to the community for their help, saying, “I need your help in a positive way. Thank you for doing what you do, keep doing what you do during this difficult time.”
He too told the news agency that his wife’s disappearance had taken a heavy toll on him and his 11-month-old daughter.
“I’m really tired. Tired, exhausted — physically, mentally, economically. I’m suffering,” he told the news outlet. “I’m suffering a lot.”
On Wednesday, police searched their Virginia home
Officers are seen searching the contents of the home and being behind the home
That same day, nearly a dozen volunteers searched the Blooms Park Trail, where Matma often went with her daughter.
Her husband is said not to have participated.
Sammy Choudhary, a friend and neighbor of the missing woman who helped organize the search, became emotional while speaking to Fox5 DC.
“If something happens to her. I want her to get justice. I don’t think anyone should have to go through this. Someone is missing.”