Kathmandu, August 23,
In the case of the missing Nepali nurse in Virginia, USA, police have detained her husband, Naresh Bhatt.
Local media outlets broadcasted footage of Naresh being escorted into a police vehicle with handcuffs on Thursday afternoon. According to the Virginia-based online portal Inside Nova, police suspect that the 28-year-old nurse, Mamta Kafle, may have been murdered and have arrested her husband on suspicion of hiding her body.
Naresh had previously told local media that there had been no disputes with his wife and had requested her to return if she was anywhere. However, he did not participate in the protests calling for Mamta’s search, addressing the issue only via phone and citing the need to care for their one-year-old child as his reason for not attending.
According to sources, Bhatt, originally from Mahendranagar, Kanchanpur, married Mamta in 2020. Recent reports indicate that their relationship had been strained, with Mamta seeking advice on separation from various people.
Mamta was last seen at Manassas Park on July 31 (16th Shrawan) and has since been unreachable. Naresh did not initially report her missing but only requested police assistance after relatives and friends expressed concern. The police eventually visited his home and he then reported his wife as missing.
According to the Manassas Park Police Department, Mamta’s friends last spoke to her on July 28 (13th Shrawan), while her husband reported seeing her for the last time on July 31 (16th Shrawan). In a recent press briefing, the head of the Manassas Park Police stated that Naresh had not cooperated with the investigation and was considered a suspect. Subsequently, the police raided his home.
Inside Nova cited an attorney who indicated that Naresh was arrested after further evidence was found. Mamta’s whereabouts remain unknown.
ABC News reported that Naresh informed the police about his wife’s disappearance only three days after she went missing. Following this, investigators conducted a thorough search, discovering that Mamta had had very limited contact with her family, friends, and workplace in recent days.
Former colleague Sunita Basnet Thapa mentioned that friends had voluntarily gathered and protested at Manassas Park to raise awareness about Mamta’s disappearance. “We gathered to make sure everyone knows about her disappearance and to get media attention,” she said.
