Husband charged in disappearance of Manassas Park mom Mamta Kafle will ask for bond
Naresh Bhatt, husband of missing Manassas Park woman, to ask for bond
A Virginia man accused in his wife’s disappearance is making another case for potential bond. Naresh Bhatt is charged with concealing the body of his wife Mamta Kafle Bhatt. He was denied bond in late August. Now, his attorney is fighting for his release again.
MANASSAS PARK, Va. - A new motion for bond has been filed in the case of a Virginia man charged in his wife’s disappearance.
Naresh Bhatt, 37, has been charged with concealment of a dead body in connection to the disappearance of his wife Mamta Kafle Bhatt. She was last seen in late July. As of this writing, her body has not been found.
The suspect was denied bond in late August but in a new motion filed Wednesday, his defense attorney argues the case has a "lack of probable cause" and assertions by law enforcement about Bhatt’s involvement in his wife’s disappearance are "riddled with inconsistencies".
Bhatt’s attorney specifically pointed to the Commonwealth’s claim that Bhatt did not want to file a missing person’s report during an August 2 welfare check at the couple’s Manassas Park home after coworkers of
Mamta Kafle Bhatt called police because she did not show up for work.
RELATED: Police conduct search for Mamta Kafle Bhatt in Manassas Park
"This statement was incorrect," the court document obtained by FOX 5 states. "Mr. Bhatt asks for the officer’s contact information so he can call the officer later. The officer then instructs him to call back if she does not return."
The motion goes on to state Bhatt sent a text message on Sunday, August 4 to the police officer, who then instructed him to contact police. Bhatt’s attorney add, the basis of obtaining an arrest warrant on August 22 was "fundamentally flawed", as there were "unverified claims" about Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s body being dragged out of the home.
"Detective Ventura made false statements," the document states. "Without these false statements, the charge against Mr. Bhatt would not hold."
Jennifer Coffindaffer, a retired FBI agent based in Virginia, said she’s not surprised there has been another motion seeking bond.
"I knew they were going to use that to try to make it look like the probable cause district has is less. When that happens, it means it could be more possible for an individual to get bond if they believe the case isn’t strong. I don’t think it’s going to work but certainly, they should have a bond hearing based on that information," Coffindaffer said.
RELATED: Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s husband appears in court day after another search of Manassas Park home
New photo evidence released in Mamta Kafle Bhatt's disappearance
We are taking a closer look at the evidence already submitted in the case against a Virginia man, Naresh Bhatt, who is facing a charge of concealment of a dead body. This is in connection to the disappearance of his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, last seen more than a month ago. FOX 5’s Lili Zheng reports from Manassas Park.
FOX 5 also obtained a 20-page search warrant served to Google last month, requesting location data and browsing history for Bhatt. The warrant requested his account information, social media accounts, Google search history, and map search between July 27 and August 1.
"They want to figure out where he was though to determine where the body might be located, but the Google searches that he could have performed will be so important," Coffindaffer said. "Most individuals involved in these types of cases like Mr. Bhatt, he has not committed any crime like this in his past. They’re rookies, so it’s not something he’s going to be familiar with normally doing. Especially if it was some crime of passion.
When people commit crimes they have never committed before, they make hasty mistakes. They typically search Google for how to do different things.
"The motion for potential bond said the matter is to be hear on Sept. 19 at 9:30 a.m. or "as soon as thereafter". FOX 5 reached out to the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Prince William County who said as of Wednesday, a motion hearing for bond is not on the docket for Thursday.
FOX 5's Stephanie Ramirez spoke with the prosecutor in the case, who told her the hearing was scheduled for Friday, September 20 at 12:30 p.m.