Naresh Bhatt Claims He Dismembered Wife After Finding Her Dead From Suicide

Naresh Bhatt Claims He Dismembered Wife After Finding Her Dead From Suicide

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Manassas Park Man Admits to Dismembering Wife, Insists She Died by Suicide

In a stunning turn during his murder trial, a Manassas Park man took the stand to admit he dismembered his wife’s body but claimed he only did so after finding her dead from what he believes was a suicide. Naresh Bhatt, testifying in Prince William County Circuit Court, told jurors he found his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, unresponsive on the floor of their bedroom in July 2024 and, in a panic, decided to hide her remains. WTOP reported that Bhatt answered “yes” when asked whether he had committed the two crimes he’s charged with: concealment of a dead body and physical defilement of a dead body.

The testimony has laid bare a harrowing and contradictory narrative at the heart of the case. Bhatt has consistently denied killing his wife, but his explanation for his actions after her death has shifted dramatically from his initial statements to police. This week, he offered a detailed account of the events he claims unfolded on July 30, 2024, an account that directly conflicts with the prosecution’s theory of murder and the evidence they have presented.

Day 2 of Naresh Bhatt's testimony in murder trial of wife Mamta Kafle Bhatt | Full testimony part 5

The Scene in the Bedroom: Pills, Pesticides, and a Body

Bhatt’s testimony, as reported by NBC4 Washington, began by setting the scene on the night of July 29, 2024. He said he slept in a separate room with the couple’s baby, down the hall from the primary bedroom. He recalled waking up a couple of times with the baby, including early the next morning, July 30. It was then, he told the court, that he walked into the primary bedroom to use the en suite bathroom and discovered his wife.

What he described finding was a scene indicative of a possible overdose. Bhatt testified that Mamta was on her back with vomit on her and on the floor beside her. He claimed there were pills visible in the vomit and an open bottle of pills nearby. He also said there were open cases of pesticides, and it appeared the chemical was mixed in with her vomit. This detail became central to his defense, suggesting he believed she had taken her own life using a combination of pills and pesticides.

A 45-Minute Struggle and a Decision Not to Call 911

Bhatt told jurors he immediately tried to revive his wife, spending what he estimated to be 45 minutes to an hour performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions. Despite his efforts, she remained unresponsive and not breathing. The most important moment in his testimony came when he was asked why he never called 911.

“I really at that point scared. I don’t know why I did not. I tried to call. I really scared. I don’t know why. Something take over me. I was really, really panic. I don’t really even, like, it’s been, like, over two years. I have completed more than 3,500 hours of meditation. Still I don’t have that answer,” Bhatt testified, as reported by NBC4 Washington.

His defense attorney, Tracey Lenox, pressed him further, asking if he was afraid that he would be blamed for driving his wife to suicide. Bhatt’s answer was a simple, “Yes.” This fear, he claimed, paralyzed him and led to a series of increasingly desperate and illegal decisions.

Naresh Bhatt takes the stand in his murder trial of wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt | Full testimony Part 1

Bhatt Buys Items to Dispose of Body

Instead of calling for emergency help, Bhatt testified he began looking for a way to dispose of his wife’s body. He said he texted their babysitter to bring his daughter to her home and then went to Home Depot, where he bought items—including gloves—that he could use to hide the body. When asked why he bought the gloves, his answer was stark: “I have no idea.”

Returning home, Bhatt described the grim process of dismembering his wife’s body. He acknowledged using a Ryobi saw—confirmed as evidence in the court—to cut her remains into smaller pieces. He also said he used knives during the process. NBC4 Washington reported that his stated reason for this was pragmatic, if chilling: “Just make a smaller size so that it fit on the can,” he testified. He placed the dismembered remains in trash bags and put them in a trash can outside their home, which he then put out for curbside pickup, knowing it would be collected.

Naresh bhatt mamta kafle bhatt
Photo: nbcwashington.com

Prosecution Dismantles Bhatt's Story

This testimony is a direct and dramatic reversal of the story Bhatt told police and reporters immediately after Mamta’s disappearance in July 2024. At that time, he claimed she had left their home and was likely either in New York or Texas. The prosecution, however, has presented a mountain of evidence aimed at dismantling this new narrative. They have shown jurors surveillance footage of Bhatt making numerous trips to different dumpsters around the area while wearing gloves, and they have presented evidence including blood found inside the couple’s home and the saw containing what’s believed to be Mamta’s DNA.

Bhatt addressed the surveillance footage during his testimony, claiming those bags contained his wife’s personal belongings, not her remains. This claim is central to his defense, as prosecutors have never found Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s body. The prosecution has yet to cross-examine Bhatt, leaving the jury to weigh his panicked, emotionless account against the physical evidence that suggests a more calculated and sinister crime.

The courtroom reaction has been palpable. NBC4 Washington noted that several people in the gallery gasped audibly during parts of Bhatt’s testimony. Mamta’s mother left the courtroom at one point, and some jurors appeared visibly skeptical, with one observed rolling their eyes and another reportedly laughing at something Bhatt said. His demeanor, remaining flat and emotionless while describing the events, has done little to assuage the jury’s doubt.

The case hinges on a fundamental question of intent and action. Did Bhatt find his wife dead and react in a state of such profound fear that he committed further atrocities to protect himself from blame? Or did he kill her, stage the scene to look like a suicide, and then methodically dispose of the evidence to cover up his crime? As the trial continues, the prosecution will have the chance to challenge Bhatt’s version of events, piece by piece, in an effort to prove that his panic was a fabrication designed to mask a premeditated murder.

Naresh Bhatt reads Mamta Kafle Bhatt's text messages, talks Feb. police call | Full testimony part 4

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