Virginia police investigating the disappearance of a 28-year-old mother who disappeared last month said Thursday they have arrested her husband on charges of hiding a body.
Mamta Kafte Bhatt was last seen on July 27, the Manassas Park Police Department said Thursday, and spoke to a friend by phone on July 28, according to CBS affiliate WUSA. Her husband Naresh Bhatt reported that he last saw her on July 31, according to WUSA, but he did not report her missing until August 5.
Before he was arrested, Bhatt told WUSA that his wife had disappeared three other times, but never for so long. Earlier this month, said the police the woman had been “involuntarily” missing.
A search warrant was executed for the couple’s home on Wednesday, police said. During the search, police obtained “additional evidence” that led to the charges. Bhatt was marched out of his home in handcuffs on Thursday, WUSA reported.
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During the press conference, the police also said that Bhatt was not cooperating with the investigation.
The couple’s one-year-old daughter was also taken from the home and has been placed in the social services care unit, police said, and is “safe and in the care of an appropriate caregiver.”
“I always thought he was up to something,” neighbor Ivy Freedman told WUSA. “The mother wouldn’t leave her child. Definitely wouldn’t miss her first birthday.”
Despite the allegation of hiding a body, police said they are still investigating Kafle Bhatt’s disappearance and are “hoping to find her”. During a news conference Thursday, officials said they could not confirm she was dead.
In addition to Bhatt’s arrest, police said they have conducted hundreds of interviews and executed 10 search warrants while investigating Kafle Bhatt’s disappearance. Police said they are actively pursuing “additional investigative leads” that could lead to additional charges.