Trial for Naresh Bhatt, man accused of killing wife Mamta Kafle, delayed until 2026

Trial for Naresh Bhatt postponed until 2026

The trial for a Manassas man accused of murdering his wife and concealing her body will be delayed for more than a year. Naresh Bhatt's trial will now start in October 2026.

MANASSAS, Va. - The trial for a Manassas Park man accused of murdering his wife and concealing her body will be delayed for more than a year.

Naresh Bhatt's trial will now start in October 2026.

What they're saying:

The family of Bhatt’s wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, say they are disappointed by the delay. The defense reportedly requested this delay in court Friday morning and the Commonwealth Attorney’s office agreed to it.

That means Naresh Bhatt’s jury trial will not proceed until October 2026.

Virginia case search records indicate a pre-trial date for Sept. 10, 2026. Three jury trial dates are set for Oct. 5-7, 2026.

Bhatt is charged with murder, concealing a dead body and physically defiling a dead body in connection to his wife Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s disappearance. Her body remains missing.

The backstory:

Bhatt, 37, was arrested in August 2024 in connection to the disappearance of his wife Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, who was last seen in late July 2024.

The investigation began on Aug. 2 when one of Kafle’s co-workers requested a welfare check after she failed to show up for her shift at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center.

Upon arrival, police were informed by her husband that she was not missing. At that time, Naresh declined to report his wife missing, claiming she was visiting family in Texas or New York. However, the prosecutor noted that Mamta had no family in those states, as they all reside in Nepal.

Then, on Aug. 6, investigators say Naresh contacted the police to report his wife missing, stating she had been visiting family and was last seen in the early hours of July 31. He later changed his story, saying he last saw her in the early hours of Aug. 1.

When asked why he delayed reporting her missing, Bhatt told FOX 5 that he believed he was following police instructions from their conversation on Friday and reported her missing once his efforts to locate her were exhausted.

Mamta was married to Naresh for just over three years, and the pair have a young daughter.

What's next:

According to a close family friend of Mamta Kafle, they are planning a silent protest outside the Prince William County courthouse in Manassas on Sunday morning, where they plan to pray and hold posters in support of Mamta.

"There’s a lot of evidence that’s been turned over from the prosecutors to the public defender. By last count it was over 4,000 pieces of evidence and that’s the main reason why this piece is pushed back. When you have something this serious and significant like murder, you want to make sure you get it right," said defense attorney Donte Mills, who is unrelated to the case.

FOX 5 reached out to the Commonwealth Attorney’s office about Friday's developments. We are awaiting their response.

The silent protest in support of Mamta will take place in front of the Prince William County courthouse beginning at 9 a.m. on Sunday. Demonstrators are being asked to wear red.

Organizers are asking the community to join them in solidarity to "express their disappointment in this decision."

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