Missing Mom Mamta Bhatt Was 'Crying for Help,' Says Co-Worker. Now, Husband Is Under Arrest (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Mamta Bhatt.Photo:Facebook

Facebook

It was the celebration of Virginia nurseMamta Kafle Bhatt’sdaughter’s first birthday at their Manassas Park, Va., home, which was decked with colorful balloons, gift bags and plushies. But the child’s father and Mamta’s husband, Naresh Bhatt, forbade anyone from taking photos.

Prabha Bhattarai Deuja, 53, spent her time at the Aug. 20 party feeling unsettled.

“I felt a wave and decided — no, this energy is not right in this house,” Deuja, a social activist, tells PEOPLE.

Deuja was among several others who were at the party not just for the child, but also for Mamta, who had been missing for nearly a month.

Naresh Bhatt arrested.Grace Schumacher/InsideNova

Grace Schumacher/InsideNova

Friends of Mamta, who came together on social media and at peace vigils outside the local police department, now say all was not well in the medical-surgical nurse’s three-year-long marriage.

Sunita Basnet, a friend and former mentor of Mamta, recalls several incidents that implied that Mamta was struggling.

In February, Mamta came to work with a bruise on her face, Basnet tells PEOPLE. When she offered her a place to stay and shared resources, Mamta briefly accepted the offer but later said she wanted to give her marriage a second chance.

“She was crying for help. For whatever reason, she didn’t have the strength or didn’t feel like it was the right time to leave,” nurse and former co-worker Holly Wirth, who has been regularly showing up at the rallies in support of Mamta, tells PEOPLE.

A rally for Mamta Bhatt.Tavan Smith/InsideNoVa

Tavan Smith/InsideNoVa

From her friends’ accounts, it appears that Mamta continued to seek out help.

Earlier this year, Mamta sought out help in a support group for single moms and separated women,WUSA 9, theWashington PostandWTOPreport.

Naresh Bhatt.Manassas Park Police Department

Manassas Park Police Department

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Now, as the investigation continues more than a month since her disappearance, Mamta’s mother and brother are taking care of the child Mamta was trying to protect. Her friends and supporters continue to show up to court and at the vigils for her.

“It’s for justice. And it’s very critical for us to be there, support her,” says Deuja. “She didn’t have a voice. We have to be her voice.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

source: people.com