Mamta Kafle Bhatt Trial: Naresh Bhatt Asked a Realtor to Sell the House After His Wife Vanished

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: name to the court and for the jury. My name is Ganesh Pandey. G-A-N-E-S-H-P-A-N-D-E-Y. Where are you from, sir? I'm from Nepal. When did you move here to Virginia? It was back in 2016. Do you have any [00:00:21] Speaker 2: children? Yes. How many? Two. What type of work do you do? I'm a realtor. Do you know Naresh Bhatt? Yes. You see Naresh Bhatt in court? Oh, yes. Can you please point him out and identify him by an article of clothing? He's Naresh Bhatt. And just describe what he's wearing. He's wearing gray coat. Your Honor, for the record, the witnesses identify the defendant, Naresh Bhatt. He has. [00:00:51] Speaker 1: Mr. Pandey? Yes. Could you tell the jury how it is you first met the defendant? I don't recall when I first met him, but I think I met him in one of the public events. [00:01:07] Speaker 2: The Nepalese community? Yeah, community event, yeah. Do they put on community events? Yes, I mean, She came to your house? Yes. Did she come to your house with the defendant? Yes, and Nima, too. And the baby, Nima? Yes. Okay. And what's the defendant's wife's name? [00:01:30] Speaker 1: Manta Kaple. Where does the defendant live in relation to where you live? I just moved out of my previous house, so we used to live very close in Manassas Park. [00:01:51] Speaker 2: And you said previously that the defendant has been to your house before? [00:01:56] Speaker 1: Yes, at the mid of July or so. In July of 24th? In July, yes, I think so. Maybe around that time, I was perfectly normal, fine, and happy. [00:02:11] Speaker 2: So they looked perfect? Yes. And you said they looked happy? Yes. [00:02:16] Speaker 1: Why do you say that? I mean, since we had the conversation, you know, it was all good, you know. I never felt like there was any confusion or maybe, like, conflicts, you know? [00:02:30] Speaker 2: Never. Say that again, sir. I'm sorry. [00:02:32] Speaker 1: Okay, so since they... [00:02:34] Speaker 2: If you could just sit back a little bit from the mic and just project loud. Okay. Thank you. [00:02:40] Speaker 1: Okay, since they come to my house and we were talking to each other, right, so, and I saw them... [00:02:49] Speaker 2: Would the defendant or Mabda ever drop the baby off at your house to care for the baby? [00:02:58] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:02:59] Speaker 2: And who were they dropping the baby off to? [00:03:01] Speaker 1: My wife. [00:03:03] Speaker 2: And how often was baby Nima being dropped off to your house? [00:03:07] Speaker 1: I remember that's the only time they dropped Nima. [00:03:12] Speaker 2: One time? [00:03:13] Speaker 1: Yeah. [00:03:14] Speaker 2: Do you recall when that was? [00:03:18] Speaker 1: That was around August. A meet of August, maybe 15th. 2024. Main goal. [00:03:40] Speaker 2: At some point in August of 2024, did you come to learn that Mabda was missing? [00:03:47] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:03:48] Speaker 2: How did you hear about this? [00:03:49] Speaker 1: From social media and friends. [00:03:54] Speaker 2: After you had come to learn from social media and other friends that Mabda is missing, did you talk to the defendant about this? [00:04:02] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:04:03] Speaker 2: And how many times did you talk to the defendant about this, meaning that his wife is missing? [00:04:10] Speaker 1: I think once or twice. [00:04:12] Speaker 2: And were those conversations in person or on the phone? [00:04:16] Speaker 1: It was on the phone. [00:04:20] Speaker 2: Could you tell us the conversation you had with the defendant on the phone when you're talking to him about his wife missing? [00:04:27] Speaker 1: Yeah. So I called him to see how things are going on and he said that he was very sad and he was praying with the guard that Mabda come back. And he was also worried about Nima and he said that he lost his job or he was out of job. [00:04:54] Speaker 2: He told you he lost his job? [00:04:56] Speaker 1: I don't recall that. But yes, he said he didn't have job. [00:05:02] Speaker 2: As the defendant is telling you how sad he is and how he's praying to God, does he also talk to you about selling his house? [00:05:09] Speaker 1: Yes, I think he called me once and asked me to sell the house. [00:05:14] Speaker 2: And this is after you come to learn that Mabda is missing? [00:05:17] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:05:22] Speaker 2: Was any part of that conversation to sell the defendant's house structured where the sale would be a private show? [00:05:32] Speaker 1: Since he called me because I had a good connection with the community, so he wanted to sell off market first. And also he was okay to go live on MLS. [00:06:04] Speaker 2: Prior to learning about the sale, which wrong, prior to learning about Mabda missing, did you communicate with the defendant about selling his home? [00:06:17] Speaker 1: Prior to missing, no. [00:06:18] Speaker 2: It was only after she came up missing, she was asking you to help sell his house. [00:06:23] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:06:23] Speaker 2: Did you help the defendant sell his house? [00:06:28] Speaker 1: No, I did not. [00:06:28] Speaker 2: Why not? [00:06:30] Speaker 1: Because a lot of things were going on and I thought that I should not be involved in this. [00:06:40] Speaker 2: Did you ever discuss with the defendant any efforts he may or may not have been making to find his missing wife? [00:06:48] Speaker 1: Yeah, I think he was saying that he was praying with God and he was calling a lot of people to see where she is, something like that. [00:06:58] Speaker 2: In Nepal? [00:07:00] Speaker 1: I mean, some people follow the traditional ways, you know, how that was handled in Nepal and the same way in USA too. Back in Nepal, it's like male dominant and male has more rights, more freedoms and female has less. And some still implement those concepts in USA as well, but not everybody. [00:07:30] Speaker 2: The traditional sense in Nepal, what is the clothing that the wife should wear or must wear? [00:07:36] Speaker 1: Okay, it's called sari and gown. Yeah. [00:07:42] Speaker 2: That's what a married woman would wear in Nepal? [00:07:46] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:07:49] Speaker 2: How about for the wife? Are women encouraged to work when they're married? [00:07:56] Speaker 1: Nowadays, it's prevailing, but traditionally, you know, they are not allowed to go to work. Or they don't, people don't motivate them to go to work. [00:08:09] Speaker 2: A woman, a married woman working in your community, would that cause issues for an old traditional way of thinking? [00:08:17] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:08:18] Speaker 2: How about financials? Who runs the money in a traditional Nepali home? [00:08:25] Speaker 1: Mostly, husband goes to work, brings money, and he has more rights on that. [00:08:36] Speaker ?: Thank you. [00:09:06] Speaker 2: Two questions. What is your wife's first name? [00:09:12] Speaker 1: Lakshmi. [00:09:13] Speaker 2: Lakshmi? [00:09:14] Speaker 1: L-A-X-M-I. [00:09:17] Speaker 2: And was there any discussion between you and the defendant about him wanting to divorce Mata? [00:09:27] Speaker 1: Not that I know of, but I heard that divorce stories from some of the... [00:09:33] Speaker 2: Don't talk about anybody else may have told you, but from him to you, did he discuss with you... No, no, not at all. ...any about getting divorced? [00:09:40] Speaker 1: No, no. Okay. [00:09:44] Speaker 3: Good afternoon, Mr. Pandy. Hi, good afternoon. Mr. Sweet just asked you a lot about traditional Nepali culture. And your answers were about what happens back in Nepal, right? [00:09:55] Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, some people implement in the U.S. too, yes. [00:10:01] Speaker 3: In the Nepali community in America, things have shifted, correct? [00:10:06] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:10:07] Speaker 3: Women can work. [00:10:08] Speaker 2: Yes. [00:10:09] Speaker 3: Women can wear different clothing. Yes. Women can own assets. [00:10:12] Speaker 1: Yes. But what I mean... [00:10:14] Speaker 3: Mr. Pandy, just answer my questions, okay? In America, things have changed and people can have different relationships within the Nepali sub-community in America, right? [00:10:30] Speaker 1: Yeah. [00:10:31] Speaker 3: You were asked about Mr. Bott wanting to sell his house privately. That means off-market, correct? [00:10:47] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:10:48] Speaker 3: You're a realtor, right? [00:10:49] Speaker 1: Yes, I'm a realtor. [00:10:50] Speaker 3: So you understand what it means to sell a house off-market? [00:10:54] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:10:56] Speaker 3: Selling a house off-market means that you can sell your house often as is without doing some repairs, correct? [00:11:07] Speaker 1: Yeah, you can do that if buyer agrees. [00:11:10] Speaker 3: It can cost less to sell a house, less for the seller to sell that house if they're selling privately, correct? Yes. And Mr. Bott said he had lost his job, right? [00:11:22] Speaker 1: He's having financial problems, and I actually don't recall the exact word what he said, but yeah, he was out of job. [00:11:31] Speaker 3: He was having financial problems? [00:11:32] Speaker 1: Yes. That's what he's told me. [00:11:37] Speaker 3: And you said that Mr. Bott and his wife, Mamta, came to your house in mid-July of 2024 for dinner, correct? [00:11:47] Speaker 1: Somewhere around that time. I cannot recall the exact date. [00:11:50] Speaker 3: And you noticed that they seemed happy as a couple. [00:11:54] Speaker 1: Yes, that's the first time I saw them, and they were like, okay. [00:11:58] Speaker 3: They were okay. [00:11:59] Speaker 1: Yeah. [00:11:59] Speaker 3: Mamta was happy. [00:12:01] Speaker 1: Yeah, I didn't see any sadness in the face. [00:12:05] Speaker 3: And you remember Naresh was happy as well. [00:12:09] Speaker 1: Yeah, they both were talking nice. [00:12:13] Speaker 3: For indulgence. No further questions. Can you redirect? [00:12:24] Speaker 2: People can put on a facade, correct, and look happy, but not really be happy? [00:12:29] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:12:29] Speaker 2: How long have you been married? [00:12:31] Speaker 1: It's been like 2019, maybe seven years. Seven, eight years. [00:12:40] Speaker 2: In the eyes of the world, are you happy with your wife? [00:12:43] Speaker 1: Yes, most of the time I'm happy. I'm sorry. Yes, I'm happy with her. Very happy. [00:12:52] Speaker 2: And in private quarters, you may feel a little less than happy. Is that fair to say? [00:12:59] Speaker 1: Sometimes? Sometimes, you know. Everybody has issues, you know. [00:13:04] Speaker 2: I'll leave it at that. No further questions, Judge. Yes, witness.