Husband of Va. Mom Who Vanished in July Pleaded for Her Safe Return. He Was Just Led Away in Handcuffs

Three weeks after a pediatric nurse failed to check in for work, her husband, who is the father of their infant daughter, has been arrested.

Naresh Bhatt was escorted by police in handcuffs from the couple’s Manassas Park, Va., home at around 10:45 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 22, per local outlets Inside Nova, ABC 7 and NBC Washington. It’s not immediately clear if the arrest came in connection with his wife’s case.

It was not immediately clear what – if any – charges have been filed against him in connection to Mamta Kafle’s disappearance or if police believe she is still alive.

The arrest comes after a search of the couple’s home Wednesday evening, according to police.

Chief of Police Mario Lugo said in a statement Wednesday that City of Manassas Police Department had been “working parallel” with entities in Nepal – where Kafle is from – during their investigation into the missing mother, executing “in excess of 10 search warrants” including one of the home that evening and conducting “hundreds of hours of interviews related to this case.”

Lugo said he was “limited” in what he could discuss in the “active and ongoing” investigation, which he called “a top priority” for his department.

The 28-year-old mother was last seen in late July, according to a missing adult poster disseminated earlier this month by police, who added: “Mamta is thought to be missing on involuntary circumstances, due to the length of time missing.”

PEOPLE previously reported from a Facebook page with updates on the search that the mom had missed her Thursday, Aug. 1 nursing shift and that, wanting to get separated from her husband, she had joined a support group for single mothers.

Police say that a welfare check was conducted in connection to the missing woman on Aug. 2 and that her husband did not want to report her missing at the time. He waited another three days before doing so, per police.

The UVA Prince William Medical Center saw Kafle at an appointment Saturday, July 27, per police, who say that Kafle spoke to a friend a day later. The next three days are unaccounted for, except for her husband’s claim that he last saw her Wednesday, July 31, per police.

At a Monday, Aug. 12 rally, her husband – who did not attend in person but spoke through a phone – said that he “need[s] to find her as soon as possible, using all the tools, community, society, police,” NBC 4 Washington reported.

Kafle had reportedly moved from Nepal – where her entire family still resides – to the U.S. in 2021, living with a roommate in Fairfax County, Va., before her marriage to Bhatt.

Standing at 5 feet tall and weighing 132 lbs. with brown eyes and black hair, Kafle is listed as missing by the National Center For Missing and Endangered, which has started a fundraiser to aid in her search. As of early Thursday afternoon, more than $10,000 had been donated to a GoFundMe for search efforts.

Earlier this week, in a post to the Facebook page dedicated to the missing mother’s search, friends marked her daughter’s first birthday.

“Today is going to be a fun day!” a friend posted, along with a picture of the little girl’s outfit, covered with unicorns and rainbows.

If you have information about this unfolding case, you may call City of Manassas Police Department at 703-361-1136 or remain anonymous by calling the Manassas City/Manassas Park Crime Solvers at 703-330-0330.