Virginia Man Indicted for Murder of Missing Wife, Trial Scheduled for September 2025

Naresh Bhatt faces charges of first-degree murder and defiling his wife's body after DNA evidence linked blood found in their home to Mamta Kafle Bhatt, whose remains have not been located.

Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a 28-year-old nurse and mother, was last seen in late July; her husband Naresh Bhatt was arrested in August and initially charged with concealing a dead body.
A grand jury indicted Naresh Bhatt this week on charges of first-degree murder and defiling a corpse after DNA evidence confirmed blood found in their home belonged to Mamta.
Investigators suspect Mamta's body was dismembered, citing the crime scene as one of the worst they had encountered, though her remains have not been found.
Naresh Bhatt's trial, originally set for December 2024, has been postponed and consolidated with the new charges, now scheduled to begin on September 8, 2025, and expected to last four weeks.
The case has drawn significant attention, including in Nepal, where Mamta's family resides, and discussions are ongoing about whether the trial will be televised.