Update 5:40 p.m.: Naresh Bhatt has been charged with concealing a dead body. It is a felony charge of Prohibition Against Concealment of Dead Body in violation of Section 18.2-323.02 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended. He is being held without bond at the Prince William-Manassas Regional Adult Detention Center.

Manassas Park police are expected to hold a press conference Thursday afternoon to share more details on the case. MPPD has not yet announced if they have found a body in connection with Kafle’s disappearance.

Update 1 p.m. — In a significant development, police arrested Naresh Bhatt, the husband of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, whose disappearance in late July has gripped the Greater Manassas community. The arrest was made around 11 a.m. today, marking a turning point in the investigation.

Witnesses reported seeing police take Bhatt into custody and, separately, a child believed to be the couple’s baby was taken from the home by authorities approximately 20 minutes later. Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth was on the scene following the arrest.

Crime scene investigators were observed removing items that appeared to be rugs from the property, possibly as evidence in the ongoing investigation. However, the atmosphere remains uncertain as officials remain tight-lipped about the details.

Despite the visible actions taken today, Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth has not confirmed the arrest of Naresh Bhatt. Similarly, there is no official confirmation that the child taken by social services is the couple’s baby.

Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo was present during the arrest but did not provide any comments on the unfolding situation.

The community continues to monitor this troubling case closely, and more updates are expected as the investigation progresses.

Update 11:30 a.m. – Naresh Bhatt, 37, was arrested Thursday morning around 10:45 a.m. in the case of his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, disappearance in late July. It’s not yet clear what charges have been filed, but he was taken out of their shared home in handcuffs by Manassas Park Police. Their daughter was taken by authorities separately from Bhatt.

Original Post — Police say the husband of a Manassas Park woman not seen since late last month is now a person of interest in the case.

Manassas Park Police Department Chief Mario Lugo held a press briefing Wednesday night after city police and officers from the Prince William County Police Department crime scene analysts were seen searching the home of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a Manassas Park woman last seen by friends on July 28.

“Our investigators have executed over ten search warrants and conducted hundreds of interviews related to this case, including the search tonight,” Lugo said.

Lugo named her husband Naresh Bhatt a person of interest and said he is uncooperative with police. “He is a person of interest. He’s been a person of interest; everybody knows that.” This is the first time police have named Bhatt a person of interest. Up until this press conference, the police said Bhatt was cooperating with investigators and urged the community not to speculate.

Mamta Kafle Bhatt disappeared in late July. Bhatt told police he last saw his wife on July 31, and she last reported to work as a nurse at the UVA Prince William Medical Center in Manassas on July 27.

Police have been searching for her since Aug. 5, when her husband Bhatt first reported her missing. Manassas Park police conducted a welfare check on Aug. 2 when they visited the residence, but Bhatt did not file a missing person report.

Mamta Kafle Bhatt missed her daughter’s first birthday on Tuesday, Aug. 20. At a birthday party hosted by close friends, the father asked that pictures of their child’s face not be posted to social media.

“We’re not going anywhere.”

Some 150 community members huddled behind the press during the press conference outside city police headquarters. Many, like Sundar Sherpa, were agitated after Lugo’s two-minute statement. “We’re not going anywhere,” shouted Sherpa after Lugo abruptly ended the briefing without taking questions. “He calls that a press briefing? He didn’t say anything we don’t already know,” Sherpa said.

“As you can hear, the community is not satisfied with what the police had to say, but I personally appreciate that Chief Lugo came out and updated us to the best of his ability,” Holly Wirth, a fellow nurse and former co-worker of Kafle Bhatt, said.

“For me, it’s a win. In a small group meeting on Sunday, [Chief Lugo] would not say that he had a person of interest. So, to say between Sunday and Wednesday he’s identified [Bhatt] as a person of interest is big progress in the case,” Wirth said.

Unanswered questions

Questions remain as to why it took so long for police to investigate after co-workers reported her missing when she failed to attend a scheduled shift on Aug. 1. Elected officials present during the press conference, like Mayor Jeanette Rishell and City Councilman Michael Carrera, had little to say.

While the mayor stood silent, Carrera said there would be an investigation into how the police handled the case but that he still had “full faith and confidence in both Chief Lugo and the MPPD.”

On the rocks

A screenshot of a Feb. 16 social media post to a divorce support group purported to be by Kafle Bhatt sought advice and help regarding leaving her husband. The post stated her husband threatened to “send the child to custody,” which others in the group understood to mean foster care. Kafle Bhatt was listed as a “top contributor” to the site.

In a statement to the Nepalese language news site enepalise.com, Bhatt said that the couple have been having “strained relations” but were committed to working on it, saying their relationship has been improving since May.

Lugo said he would provide more information when the crime scene analysts submit their findings.

Police urge anyone with information on Kafle Bhatt’s whereabouts to come forward. Those with information are asked to contact Manassas Park police at 703-361-1136. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Crime Solvers at 703-330-0330 or online at manassascrimesolvers.org.

9:38 p.m. — Manassas Park Police have determined the husband of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, Naresh Bhatt, is a person of interest. They also said he is no longer cooperating.

Police just wrapped up a press conference with details on tonight’s search of the home. More as we have it.

Original Post — On Wednesday evening, the Manassas Park Police Department gathered at the home of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, to execute a warrant. According to neighbors, the police did not say if it was a search or arrest warrant.

Police began arriving at her home, which she shares with her husband, Naresh Bhatt, 37, around 5 p.m. on Wednesday and it was circled in yellow crime tape around 7 p.m., neighbors said. Manassas Park Police and Prince William County Police were present.

According to Alan Gloss, a reporter on the scene, the street, Heather Court, was shut down to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. There were at least 50 neighbors watching as police conducted the search on the home. Police have not said if they will address the media tonight, but it is a possibility.

Holly Wirth, a nurse and former co-worker and leader of groups of citizens looking for Kafle Bhatt, said it’s an active scene.

Kafle Bhatt disappeared in late July. Bhatt told police he last saw his wife on July 31 and she last reported to work at the UVA Prince William Medical Center in Manassas on July 27. She works as a nurse at the medical center.

Police have been searching for Kafle Bhatt since Aug. 5, when Bhatt first reported her missing. MPPD conducted a welfare check on Aug. 2 when they visited the residence, but Bhatt did not file a missing person report.

Kafle Bhatt missed her daughter’s first birthday on Tuesday, and at a birthday party hosted by close friends, the father asked pictures of their child’s face not be posted to social media.

Insidenova.com: “The Manassas Park High School football team has adopted a new motto this season. They call it RTH, which means “Ruin Their Homecoming.”

Cougars second-year head coach Mark Teague came up with the slogan after he had to explain to his players why opponents scheduled them last season for their homecoming games on at least two occasions.”

The Manassas Park Police Department is being criticized for what neighbors are calling a slow response to a missing mother who has not been seen since July.

Police and residents have been searching for 28-year-old Mamta Kafle, who has been missing since late July. The case has been classified as an Involuntary/Critical Missing Person, prompting an intensified search effort.

The investigation began on August 2, after she failed to report to her job at Prince William UVA Hospital the day before. Officers with MPPD responded to her home in the Blooms Crossing neighborhood to do a welfare check. At that time, her husband, Naresh Bhatt, provided information to the police but did not report her as missing. It was not until eight days after anyone besides her husband last saw her that Bhatt reported his wife missing. Police began a formal investigation but waited three more days to inform the public of the disappearance. Despite the delay in reporting, Police say that Bhatt has cooperated with the investigation.

Supporters say this delay in action by both Bhatt and Manassas Park police makes the outlook appear grim. Two groups of supporters have been holding separate efforts to help find Kafle. One group organized by residents with ties to Nepal has been holding vigils at the police headquarters at 329 Manassas Drive. The Nepali Embassy and various other locations, in an effort, are also encouraging local leaders to act.

The Embassy is deeply concerned about the missing of Nepali national Ms. Mamta Kafle from Manassas, Virginia since July 31, 2024. As soon as the family members of Ms. Kafle reported to the Embassy about the case, it reached out to relevant US authorities,

— Embassy of Nepal, Washington, D.C. (@nepalembassyusa) August 15, 2024

The second group, consisting of her co-workers and friends, is organized by her former roommate, Nadia Navarro.

The groups have self-organized search parties to check local parks and wooded areas. For several nights, groups of about 100 volunteers scoured Blooms Crossing Park for hours, hoping to find her. While the searches have generated only a few leads, they have had a more significant effect of drawing attention to finding Kafle. Media were present Thursday night during the search, and a helicopter hovered over the search area for several hours while the search was conducted.

Both groups are frustrated by the lack of early action by the police and say they are slow to decide when and where to look. “Why aren’t the police organizing these searches? I am here to help, but there should be a central command post to ensure we are efficiently searching these areas and not going over where others have already searched or, worse, skipping areas that have not been searched. The police have the expertise and should be out here directing volunteers where to look.” said Anne Tornatore Lese, a volunteer searcher who didn’t know Kafle but felt a duty to search for her.

Police say the initial assessment did not meet the Virginia State Police criteria for anything more than a missing person report, which led to Kafle only being entered into the state-wide missing persons list. Still, family and friends wanted more, saying that Kafle would never leave her 10-month-old daughter voluntarily or the job she loved as an operating room nurse. “She’s a very happy and positive person,” said Sunit Basnet Thapa, Bhatt’s mentor when she worked at Inova Fairfax Hospital.

“She does not have a car, driver’s license, or passport. She Ubered to work everyday. She couldn’t have gotten far by herself,” said Sadichhya Dhungana, an outspoken member of the Nepali community who participated in Thursday’s search.

After Bhatt reported her missing to Manassas Park police on August 5, detectives began investigating Kafle’s disappearance. They found that there had been a lack of recent contact between Mamta and her family, friends, and employer. Additionally, there was an absence of social media activity, which raised concerns. Based on these findings and other circumstances, on Thursday, August 15, police elevated Mamta’s status to an Involuntary/Critical Missing Person.

Bhatt, facing louder public criticism for his failure to report the disappearance earlier, has conducted interviews with the media and has been seen at the MPPD offices several times. “Finding Mamta at any cost is my first and only priority,” Bhatt told reporters. He said that this is not the first time that she has disappeared before and admitted that they don’t sleep in the same room. He told the Nepalese language news site enepalise.com that the couple have been having “strained relations” but were committed to working on it, saying that the couple’s relationship has been improving since May. Kafle’s Nepal-based family backs up a claim the news site wrote.

Kafle was last seen at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center on July 27. She spoke to a friend on July 28 and was last seen by her husband on July 31. These were the last known contacts before her disappearance. Kafle emigrated to the U.S. in 2021 and completed a Registered Nurse course. She first obtained a job as a nurse at INOVA Hospital before transferring to Prince William’s UVA Hospital.

Kafle is 5 feet tall, 132 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

Her blood family is in Nepal, but we’re out here searching for her because we’re her family now, and we are going to find her,” said Jennifer Cooper, who did not know Kafle but helped organize the Thursday search.

The Nepal Embassy posted to their X account that they are ‘deeply concerned’ over her missing status and said they have contacted relevant US authorities.

Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo did not respond when asked about the three-day delay in publicly announcing the disappearance after the investigation started and why they did not investigate after Kafle’s co-workers said she didn’t show up to work.

Police urge anyone with information on Kafle’s whereabouts to come forward. Those with information are asked to contact Manassas Park police at 703-361-1136. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Crime Solvers at 703-330-0330 or online at Manassas–Manassas Park Crime Solvers.

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