Indian-origin man confesses to dismembering missing wife’s body in chilling US courtroom testimony

Naresh Bhatt told the court that he had cut his 28-year-old wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, into pieces after she apparently died by suicide.

Bhatt claimed he found Mamta unconscious beside their bed, surrounded by vomit, after she allegedly consumed pills and a highly poisonous insecticide.

When asked why he did not call 911 after discovering his wife unconscious, Bhatt said, as quoted by NDTV, "I don't know why I did not. I tried to call. I was really scared...something took over me. I was really, really panicked."

Bhatt made the confession five weeks into his trial, more than two years after his wife went missing.

What happened on the night of the incident?

Bhatt told the court that Mamta had gone to bed at around 8 pm on July 29, 2024, with their infant daughter.

He claimed he did not hear her come upstairs.

According to his testimony, he woke up at around 4 am the following day to use the bathroom and found Mamta lying unconscious at the foot of their bed, surrounded by vomit.

He claimed that he tried to resuscitate her for nearly an hour.

When he realised she was dead, Bhatt said he wanted to conceal her body and take his own life.

How he allegedly disposed of the body

Bhatt initially considered dumping the body in the Potomac River but later went to a Home Depot store to purchase items to conceal it.

He also attempted to put Mamta's body inside a trash can, but it did not fit.

He subsequently abandoned his plan to commit suicide.

Bhatt later brought a saw and dismembered the body in the bathroom of their family home.

He put the remains into multiple trash bags and disposed of them at different locations to prevent their discovery.

Charges against Naresh Bhatt

Bhatt faces charges of murder, defiling a body and concealing a body.

By confessing to dismembering and disposing of his wife's body, Bhatt is seeking to reduce the possibility of receiving a death sentence.