Bhatt Trial Hears Phone, Vehicle and Message Evidence

An FBI specialist testified that cellphone records and data from Naresh Bhatt’s blue Tesla generally placed him and his wife in the same areas. One exception showed Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s phone staying in one place while the Tesla traveled to Chantilly. Jurors also heard that neighbors had said Bhatt did not tell them his wife was missing. She has not been found.

A police digital-forensics investigator described searches recovered from Bhatt’s phone, including queries about what happens when a spouse disappears. Other searches concerned tools such as knives and saws. The defense challenged the significance of the search history, noting investigators could not establish who had entered the terms.

Jurors saw messages prosecutors said reflected marital strain and Bhatt’s interest in a new relationship after divorce. The defense questioned how accurately messages translated from Nepali conveyed their meaning. Prosecutors argued the exchanges shed light on the couple’s relationship before Mamta disappeared.

A forensic DNA analyst testified about further testing of blood from carpet samples and hair from a reciprocating saw. Those tests did not link the samples to Mamta; jurors had previously heard that blood inside the saw was likely hers.

Bhatt has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and charges of concealing and defiling a body. He was arrested in August 2024 after investigators found extensive bloodstains in the couple’s home. The case began after Mamta missed work at a Manassas-area hospital. Her body has not been recovered.