MANASSAS PARK, Va. — In a completely packed Prince William County courtroom, friends and supporters of Mamta Kafle Bhatt felt an overwhelming sense of relief when the judge denied her husband’s bond request.
Judge Kimberly Irving heard arguments for nearly three hours on Friday before she ruled there was “overwhelming evidence” to consider Naresh Bhatt a flight risk and danger to the community.
Naresh Bhatt is facing trial for concealment of a dead body in the disappearance of his wife, who vanished in late July.
The judge cited new evidence presented by the Commonwealth for her decision, which included surveillance videos capturing Naresh Bhatt disposing multiple bags from his car, at times wearing white gloves, at various dump sites and trash compactors, one being at his child’s babysitter’s apartment in Manassas.
He was spotted days before Manassas Park Police first conducted a welfare check at his home per the request of Mamta Bhatt’s employer.
“She was systematically dismembered,” Holly Wirth, a former co-worker, said. “I have news for you, she’s not garbage.”
There have been more than 25 search warrants executed by the police department. One of the searches took place in Loudoun County, where prosecutors say her phone last pinged.
In court, they said a new video captured Naresh Bhatt disposing a bag by holding it with what appeared to be a napkin into a nearby clothing donation bin. Officials said the bag contained bathmats with evidence of blood, although testing hasn’t been returned to determine if it belonged to Mamta Bhatt.
Other new details from the Commonwealth included Naresh Bhatt selling his Tesla a day after police requested to check it. Attorneys accuse him of disabling the car’s tracking device.
During a search inside the home, cadaver dogs trained to sniff out dead bodies made hits in the bedroom and bathroom.
It appeared the bed had been moved in the bedroom where forensic technicians used technology to find a one-foot-wide blood streak mark and “pooling of blood.” Marks led from the bedroom to the bathroom where there were blood spatters on the wall and blinds.
“The monster needs to be behind bars and the Commonwealth needs to make sure they bring murder charges,” supporter Angel Rodas said after the hearing.
Public defender Shalev Ben-Avraham tried to argue that blood alone wasn’t sufficient enough to support the charge. He said his client was willing to be monitored and turn over his U.S. passport.
“They have evidence of stuff,” Ben-Avraham said in court. “They have no evidence that she is dead.”
“If they think they have all of this evidence then why haven’t they charged him with murder?” he questioned.
The defense argued the validity of the charge because he accused the lead detective of making a false statement. The detective incorrectly mentioned in the criminal complaint that Mamta Bhatt was dragged out of the house when it turned out there was no sufficient evidence to support that.
“She then admitted that she may have used the wrong words in the criminal complaint,” the letter from the detective’s captain stated.
The Commonwealth also showed a 14-minute police body camera video capturing the moment officers conducted a welfare check at the house. You hear Naresh Bhatt telling them how Mamta Bhatt had gone missing before, and they were going through a separation.
He said she could be in New York or Texas to see her sister. Although prosecutors said she doesn’t have a biological sister in the country.
“If you’ve exhausted all efforts of figuring out her whereabouts and you believe she’s missing, please call 911,” an officer told Naresh Bhatt who texted him about his wife days after the interaction.