A Mother Vanishes: Inside the Bhatt Murder Trial
Two years after Mamta Kafle Bhatt vanished from her Virginia home, her husband, Naresh Bhatt, stands trial for her murder. "48 Hours" correspondent Anne-Marie Green speaks with WUSA9 reporter Katie Lusso about the prosecution's focus on Naresh's conflicting statements, the defense's strategy, and the domestic violence allegations at the center of this case.
- Duration
- 31m
- Broadcast on
- 16 Oct 2026
- Audio Format
- other
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[MUSIC] >> Did you have a pretty close relationship with Manta as your daughter? >> [FOREIGN] >> We were very close. I loved her and she loved me. [MUSIC] >> How often would you talk to Manta? >> [FOREIGN] >> In daily basis, like morning and the evening. [MUSIC] >> That was Gita Catholic, the mother of Manta Catholic Bot. Testifying at her daughter's murder trial in Manassas Park, Virginia. As you can hear, she's using a translator. Manta's husband, Naresh Bhatt, was charged with murdering Manta after she appeared to have gone missing. On August 2nd, 2024, her co-workers at the UVA Prince William Medical Center requested a welfare check on the Bhatt home when Manta missed a few of her shifts at work. Naresh spoke to the officers who conducted the welfare check and then filed a missing persons report on August 5th. Naresh was arrested and held without bond on August 22nd, 2024. He now stands trial for concealing the body of his wife murder and defiling a body. The trial is expected to take up to seven weeks. The charges are significant because Manta's body has still not been found. I'm 48 hours correspondent Anne Marie Green and this is case by case. For our previous coverage of the Bot trial, you can head on over to the 48 hours YouTube channel or check out the case by case feed wherever you get your podcasts. Joining us today is WUSA9 reporter Katie Lusso, who has been covering this case. Katie, it is so great to have you here today. Hi there. Thank you so much for having me. You have really been on this trial since before it was a trial. You all have done extensive coverage. And in fact, you were at the Bot home speaking to Naresh, asking him about the disappearance of his wife a full eight days before he was arrested. Give me an idea of just what led you to the home. Were you aware that he may have been a suspect and what was his demeanor like? No, we were not aware that he was even being considered a person of interest. At that point, he had appeared at a press conference that afternoon. I was working night side that day. And I was like, hey, have we done a doorknock a few days earlier, my colleague Rafael Sanchez Cruz had actually stopped him and interviewed him outside of the Manassas Park Police Department. And when I say interview, I say that loosely because Naresh really didn't want to talk to us yet. He seemed to be confused about whether or not he was allowed to speak with us. And so there was a little bit of an exchange between him and my colleague Rafael. Rafael was saying, hey, we just want to want to know what your message is. The community is really trying to find her. What do you want to say to the community about when you last saw her? Is there anything, you know, the standard conversation that he has journalists have with families when there are missing people?
Transcription truncated.
Two years after Mamta Kafle Bhatt vanished from her Virginia home, her husband, Naresh Bhatt, stands trial for her murder. "48 Hours" correspondent Anne-Marie Green speaks with WUSA9 reporter Katie Lusso about the prosecution's focus on Naresh's conflicting statements, the defense's strategy, and the domestic violence allegations at the center of this case.