Kathmandu. The hearing of the murder case against her husband Naresh Bhatt related to the disappearance of Nepali nurse Mamta Kafle Bhatt has started in Virginia, USA. The trial in Virginia began on Monday, more than two years after Mamata’s disappearance.
The jury selection process has been started since Monday in the case. A final jury will be selected from approximately 300 potential jury members. The trial is expected to last about seven weeks.
Prince William County Judge Kimberly Irving allowed media cameras inside the courtroom to record the hearing. Two cameras in the courtroom will be able to record the hearing and the media will be able to use the recorded video for news. Photography is also allowed inside the court. However, out of concern for the privacy and security of the jury members, the live broadcast of the trial has been banned.
28-year-old Mamta went missing from her house in Manassas Park, Virginia in the last week of July 2024. She was employed as a nurse at Prince William Medical Center. On July 28, she called a friend and posted a video of her daughter on social media on the same day. The next day she made a video call with her mother. Since then she has been uncontactable.
When Mamata stopped going to work, her friends were worried. When the police arrived at his house on August 2, Naresh said he had gone to Texas or New York to meet Mamata’s family. A few days later, on August 5, Naresh himself reported that Mamata was missing. But as the investigation progressed, the police suspected Naresh.
Naresh was arrested about a month after Mamata went missing. He was initially accused of hiding the body. Later, the police filed a murder charge against Naresh with the conclusion that Mamata was murdered. Mamta’s body has not been found yet.
The prosecution has been claiming that Mamata may have died on July 30, 2024. During the investigation, blood stains and evidence of the body being dragged were found in the house of the Bhatt family, according to the court documents. The prosecution claims that evidence of blood was found in the main bedroom of the house and the attached bathroom.
The prosecution has also prepared to present as evidence the various activities done by Naresh after the time when Mamata was said to have died. During the investigation, it is said that videos and other evidence were collected showing the activities of Naresh throwing garbage bags, buying cleaning materials and knives, managing garbage in different places and taking bags to the place of donating clothes.
Investigators also looked at various online searches from Naresh’s phone as evidence. According to the prosecution, even before Mamata’s disappearance, he had searched online about divorce and remarriage in case of missing wife. Even after Mamata’s disappearance, her phone and digital evidence of Naresh’s activities have been included in the investigation.
The fact that Mamata sent a picture of her swollen and bruised face to her brother in Nepal about a month before her disappearance is also prepared to be submitted as evidence by the prosecution. It has been claimed that the photo was sent to him as evidence in case anything happens.
After the disappearance of Mamata, the Nepali community in Mansas Park also conducted a campaign to search for her. The local community protested outside the police office and conducted a search operation at various locations. Mamata’s daughter is now being looked after by her family members.
Naresh has been claiming that he did not kill Mamta and that he is innocent. His lawyer requested that the hearing be postponed, saying that more time was needed for the preparation of the case. But Judge Irving denied the request for a further delay, saying the case had been pending for two years.
Before the hearing, Naresh even demanded to change his legal team. He had accused his lawyer of not trusting him and being biased against him. The court rejected his request.
Naresh has been in custody since his arrest in 2024. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison. Although Mamata’s body has not been found yet, the prosecution will try to confirm the murder based on available physical, digital and circumstantial evidence.