Virginia

Virginia husband Naresh Bhatt accused of murdering wife — week after he gave eerie TV interview over her disappearance

Published

2 years ago

August 25, 2024

Virginia husband Naresh Bhatt accused of murdering wife — week after he gave eerie TV interview over her disappearance

A Virginia husband who told news reporters he was “suffering” following the disappearance of his wife, has been accused of dragging her body out of their home before concealing her corpse.

Naresh Bhatt, 37, last saw his wife Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, on July 31, but he only reported her missing after police began investigating her vanishing on Aug. 5.

He was arrested on Thursday following a nearly months-long investigation where they charged him with Prohibition Against Concealment of a Dead Body, a felony in Virginia.

“On or about July 30, 2024 the accused Naresh Bhatt murdered his wife, Mamta Bhatt. The incident occurred at their residence in the city of Manassas Park,” a police incident report obtained by WJLA read.

“During the course of this investigation, a substantial amount of digital and forensic evidence consistent with her death was recovered.”

The police report also included evidence that indicated Mamta’s body was inside the residence before being “dragged” out of the house.

The couple had been together for more than 3 years and shared a 1-year-old daughter.

The Manassas Park Police Department conducted a welfare check at the couple’s Heather Court home, approximately 32 miles southwest of Washington DC, on Aug. 2.

During the welfare check, Naresh “provided additional information” but did not want to report his wife as missing, the police department said.

He allegedly told police his wife went to visit relatives in New York or Texas and had destroyed her phone before leaving.

Authorities discovered Mamta did not have relatives in either state and her phone was still receiving data between July 29 and Aug. 1 when it died, prosecutors claimed in court on Friday, according to WJLA.

He eventually reported Mamta missing on Aug. 5.

Officials claim Naresh failed to work with authorities during the investigation while waiting to formally file the missing person’s report, the outlet reported.

Between Aug. 5 and Aug. 8, investigators discovered Mamta Bhatt had a significant lack of contact with her husband, friends, family, work and social media postings.

Naresh emotionally reflected on the “terrible” experience of his wife’s disappearance when he spoke with several news outlets between the time he reported Mamta missing and his arrest.

“It’s been a very terrible time, my baby and myself we are just waiting minute and second just waiting, I don’t know how to explain,” Bhatt told WUSA9.

Naresh claimed that his wife had gone missing three times before, but he never called the cops.

He said he was the one most affected by his wife’s disappearance before pleading for her to come home.

“I’m the suffering one, I’m the suffer – my baby and then myself, you know, like, we are suffering the most,” he said.

“If she is watching, come back, whatever is the issue, you know like we can fix it,” Bhatt told the outlet.

Detectives executed a search warrant at his home where they reportedly found blood splatter in the master bedroom leading to the bathroom’s bathtub but have not tested it’s DNA yet, according to WJLA.

Investigators also discovered that Naresh had purchased knives from a Walmart in Chantilly on July 30, the day he allegedly murdered his wife.

He also was seen at a Loudoun County Walmart buying Lysol and Febreze on July 31 — which authorities suspect may have been used to clean up a crime scene, Prince William County prosecutor Sarah Sami said in court on Friday according to the outlet.

Investigators believe Naresh was getting ready to flee Virginia, as they found a packed suitcase and clothes missing off hangars while his “passport was available upon entry.”

He had also recently sold his Tesla and was trying to sell his home, two witnesses told police.

Naresh is being held without bond and is scheduled for a bond hearing on Monday.

Mamta’s parents, who live in Nepal, were granted an emergency visa to the US to get their grandaughter who has been in the care of social services since her father’s arrest.

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Virginia

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly from Virginia Tech’s 95-89 Loss to Wake Forest

Published

5 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly from Virginia Tech’s 95-89 Loss to Wake Forest

Virginia Tech’s ACC Tournament run ended in heartbreaking fashion Tuesday night in Charlotte, as the Hokies fell to Wake Forest 95-89 in overtime. It was a game full of swings. Virginia Tech erased deficits, battled back repeatedly and forced overtime, but couldn’t make enough plays in the extra period.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from the game.

The Good: Rebounding dominance and a resilient fight

Virginia Tech did plenty of things well in this game, especially on the boards.

The Hokies outrebounded Wake Forest 45-28, including 21 offensive rebounds, which created 20 second-chance points and repeatedly extended possessions. That advantage helped Virginia Tech stay within striking distance even when the offense stalled.

Head coach Mike Young pointed to the rebounding margin as one of the more frustrating parts of the loss.

“You outrebound somebody 45 to 26 or whatever that is,” Young said. “You’re supposed to win the game. Unfortunately, we did not.”

Several Hokies contributed to that effort. Forward Tobi Lawal led the team with nine rebounds. Centers Christian Gurdak and Antonio Dorn combined for 15 rebounds, with Dorn seeing extended minutes after Amani Hansberry was sidelined with an injury he suffered against Virginia.

Virginia Tech showed its usual resilience. The Hokies erased multiple deficits throughout the game and were able to force overtime in a game where Wake Forest led for almost 36 minutes.

Young praised the fight his team showed throughout the night.

“It’s been a characteristic of this team throughout,” said Young. “They’ve got a lot to them, and great kids to coach.”

The Bad: A quiet night for Neoklis Avdalas

Virginia Tech needed contributions across the lineup in a tight postseason game, but Neoklis Avdalas struggled to make an impact.

Avdalas finished with five points, shooting 2-for-8 from the field. The Hokies’ assist leader was unable to record an assist against the Demon Deacons. He played 31 minutes before spending the final 7:37 of the second half and all of overtime on the bench.

Young confirmed the decision was performance-based.

“I just thought [Jaden Schutt and Jailen Bedford] were playing better than Neo, so that is how it went,” said Young.

Schutt played his most minutes in a game (29) since late January. He shot 3-for-7 from three and made all six of his free throws, ending the night with 15 points.

This game stands in stark contrast to Avdalas’ previous showing against Wake Forest. In that game from Feb. 21, Avdalas scored 17 points, shooting 6-for-14 from the field. He also recorded eight assists and three rebounds that game.

The Ugly: Turnovers early and execution in overtime

THe biggest issue for Virginia Tech came in two stretches: the early turnovers and in overtime.

The Hokies committed 10 turnovers in the first half, allowing Wake Forest to control the pace despite Virginia Tech’s 25-11 first-half rebounding advantage. Off those 10 first-half turnovers, Wake Forest scored 11 points.

“We had some terrible, terrible turnovers,” said Young.

Although Virginia Tech cleaned that up in the second half, only committing three turnovers for the remainder of the game, the early miscues forced the Hokies to play from behind most of the night.

After battling abck all night, overtime is where the Hokies ran out of answers.

Wake Forest quickly seized momentum in the extra period. Guard Myles Colvin gave the Demon Deacons a five-point advantage less than a minute into overtime, making a floater and a three.

The Hokies struggled to generate offense in overtime while Wake Forest capitalized repeatedly at the free-throw line. When Virginia Tech was forced to foul down late, Wake Forest did not allow any chance of a comeback, making all nine of its free throws in overtime.

“They were hitting shots,” Ben Hammond said. “Their point guard had the game of his life today.”

In the end, Wake Forest made the plays Virginia Tech could not.

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Virginia

Virginia lawmakers criticize anti-redistricting mailer with Jim Crow-era images – WTOP News

Published

17 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Virginia lawmakers criticize anti-redistricting mailer with Jim Crow-era images – WTOP News

The flyers encourage people to vote against the redistricting effort and feature pictures of the Ku Klux Klan and from the Civil Rights Movement.

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones condemned flyers with Jim Crow-era images discouraging voters from supporting redistricting in the state.

The mailers, which Jones told WTOP he first learned about last weekend, featured pictures of the Ku Klux Klan and from the Civil Rights Movement. One such mailer said, “Our ancestors fought to represent us. Now Richmond politicians are trying to take our districts away.”

The flyers encourage people to vote against the redistricting effort.

A group, Justice for Democracy, has been sending out mailers and texts with some clear dog whistles, using varying disclaimers in Virginia (“Democracy and Justice PAC” and “Justice for Democracy PAC”).
Its treasurer is listed as Christopher Woodfin and its address is the same … pic.twitter.com/JvetyKGnbw
— Matt Royer (@royermattw) March 7, 2026

Early voting is underway, as Democrats in the state push for changes to congressional districts that are expected to give them more of an advantage in Congress. They said it’s in response to President Donald Trump encouraging redistricting in Republican-led states such as Texas. Republicans, though, have been critical.

In an interview with WTOP, Jones, Virginia’s first Black attorney general, said the mailers are disturbing, shocking, offensive and deceptive.

“It’s very clear a MAGA-linked group that opposes the referendum is sending these mailers to Black voters, and they’re misusing very, very hurtful imagery from the Civil Rights Movement, even invoking Jim Crow, to weaponize one of the darkest chapters in our history, to scare people into voting no and help Republicans maintain a rigged map for 2026 so they can keep control of Congress,” Jones said.

In a statement, the NAACP Virginia State Conference said the flyers falsely compare redistricting to Jim Crow.

“While the NAACP is nonpartisan, we are deeply engaged in political advocacy to safeguard our communities,” said Rev. Cozy Bailey, president of NAACP Virginia.

The purpose of the mailers, Jones said, is to “suppress the vote. It’s to make sure that people don’t go make their voices heard during this election.”

The flyers said they’re paid for by a group called Democracy and Justice PAC. Former Virginia Del. A.C. Cordoza, a Republican, is listed as the chairman, according to Virginia Board of Elections documents.

“I couldn’t see why they say it’s insulting,” Cordoza told WTOP. “I’m a Black man. I don’t want my Black vote to be taken away.”

The proposed new map, Cordoza said, “ripped apart majority-minority districts in order to increase the number of white representatives from Northern Virginia.”

Cordoza said he didn’t know how many homes the mailers had been sent to or how much the PAC spent on them.

“I want people to do their research and see exactly what’s happening,” Cordoza said. “We, as Virginians, voted for a bipartisan redistricting commission for a reason.”

Jones, though, said he sits “across the dinner table from people who have had their right to vote denied because of the color of their skin. It’s 2026. I would hope that we’d be past tactics like this, but clearly we aren’t.”

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Virginia

Gov. Spanberger leads Virginia public safety readiness briefing

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Gov. Spanberger leads Virginia public safety readiness briefing

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger met with public safety leaders from across the commonwealth Monday as part of a “unified readiness” coordination effort.

The governor met with police and fire chiefs, sheriffs, emergency managers and private sector members — including Dominion Energy — to discuss Virginia’s commitment to public safety, intelligence sharing and interagency collaboration.

“As global tensions continue to evolve, I want to be very clear: there are no known threats specific to Virginia at this time,” Spanberger said. “Today’s briefing was about making sure that information can be shared quickly and we remain at the ready.”

The meeting relates to Spanberger’s Executive Order 12, which she says reaffirms Virginia’s commitment to public safety, community trust, and readiness.

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