Naresh Bhatt Convicted of First-Degree Murder in Wife Mamta Kafle's Dismemberment Case

Kathmandu. The murder case of Nepali origin nurse Mamta Kafle Bhatt in Virginia, USA, has reached a decisive stage after more than two years of investigation and about six weeks of judicial process. Her husband Naresh Bhatt, who admitted to dismembering his wife's body but denied committing the murder, was found guilty by a jury on November 10, 2026, on three charges including first-degree murder. The following are the key events from when Mamta went missing until Naresh was found guilty: **July 27, 2024:** The day Mamta was last seen publicly, she was last seen at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center in Manassas, Virginia, where she was employed as a nurse. After this, her regular social media activity and contact ceased. **July 29, 2024:** On this day, Mamta had a video call with her mother Gita, who is in Nepal. After this, the family could not contact her. **August 2, 2024:** On this day, after Mamta was absent from work for several days, her colleagues informed the police. The police then went to her home in Manassas Park and questioned Naresh. Naresh stated that he did not believe his wife was missing and that she might have gone to New York or Texas. **August 5, 2024:** On this day, Naresh filed a missing person report for Mamta. However, family and friends urged for an intensified search, stating that she would not go anywhere leaving her young daughter. **August 22, 2024:** Police arrested Naresh after finding suspicious bloodstains and other evidence in the bedroom and bathroom of the house. Initially, he was charged with concealing a body. He has been in custody since then. **December 2, 2024:** The grand jury also indicted Naresh on charges of first-degree murder and dismembering a body. **March 2025:** The investigation focused on the possibility that Mamta's body might have been disposed of with garbage and ended up in a landfill in the Lorton area of Virginia. However, the body was not found. **October 5–7, 2026:** Jury selection began on October 5, and the testimony of witnesses started on the 7th. The prosecution presented blood, DNA, electronic devices, digital search history, and CCTV footage. **November 2, 2026:** The prosecution's case concluded. After hearing testimony from over 80 witnesses, the prosecution finished presenting its evidence. **Naresh's Shocking Confession on November 5, 2026:** Testifying in court, he admitted to dismembering Mamta's body and disposing of it in the trash. However, he claimed he managed the body after she committed suicide. **Found Guilty on November 10, 2026:** After approximately four to five hours of deliberation, the jury found Naresh guilty on all three charges, including murder. He will now be sentenced on March 12, 2027. Legal experts estimate that Bhatt could face a sentence of life imprisonment for the first-degree murder charge, and an additional five years for each of the two charges of tampering with and disfiguring a body.