Virginia man arrested on suspicion of ‘concealment of dead body’ weeks after wife’s disappearance

A man has been arrested on suspicion of concealing a dead body four weeks after his wife went missing, authorities in Virginia said Thursday.

Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Luge confirmed in a statement that Naresh Bhatt was arrested on the felony charge of concealment of a dead body.

His wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, was last seen working as a pediatric nurse on July 27 and has been the subject of an extensive missing persons investigation. Kafle’s infant daughter, who turned one this week, has been taken into the care of the Department of Social Services.

Authorities have not confirmed that a body has been found, just that Naresh Bhatt may have somehow concealed one. Police confirmed that the arrest was “in connection with her disappearance.”

“The Manassas Park Police Department is still investigating the disappearance of Mamta Kafle Bhatt and hoping to locate her,” the statement said. “There are additional investigative leads being actively pursued and may result in additional charges being brought.”

“The Manassas Park Police Department is still investigating the disappearance of Mamta Kafle Bhatt and hoping to locate her,” the statement said. “There are additional investigative leads being actively pursued and may result in additional charges being brought.”

Naresh Bhatt is being held without bond and is due to appear in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court on Friday morning.

Police previously said Naresh Bhatt had said he last saw his wife on July 31. Her co-workers raised the alarm when she failed to turn up for work on Aug. 2 — police visited the family home and spoke to Narash Bhatt, but his wife was not reported as missing.

She was not formally declared missing until Aug. 8 and police say here credit cards and phone have shown no activity since her disappearance.

Friends and family held a candlelit vigil outside the Kafles’ home on Thursday, including many from Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s native Nepal. The local community and Kafle’s co-workers have organized multiple searches for her.