Virginia man indicted for murder after Google searches raise suspicions in wife’s disappearance
Virginia: Naresh Bhatt, a 37-year-old Virginia resident, has been charged with the murder of his wife, Mamta Bhatt, four months after her mysterious disappearance. Despite the absence of her body, investigators have linked Mamta's DNA to blood found in the couple’s home in Manassas, according to police and court documents.
A grand jury in Prince William County indicted Naresh on charges of murder and defiling a dead body. Authorities revealed that months before Mamta vanished, Naresh searched online for phrases like "how long does it take to get married after spouse die" and "what happens to debt when a spouse dies," as reported by the New York Post.
Police Chief Mario Lugo emphasized the strength of the case despite the absence of a body, stating, "From the beginning, we believed that she was murdered." He expressed confidence in the evidence collected, underscoring that the lack of a physical body would not weaken the prosecution.
Mamta Bhatt, a 28-year-old pediatric nurse, went missing in late July, sparking a community-wide effort to locate her. Her family in Nepal, along with local residents, organized social media campaigns, rallies, and community events to raise awareness and search for answers.
Naresh was initially charged with concealing a dead body just three weeks after Mamta’s disappearance and has remained in custody since then.
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Three company directors held in Rs 100-crore investment fraud in Kochi
Kochi (Kerala) (PTI): Police on Sunday arrested three directors of a firm accused of cheating hundreds of investors of over Rs 100 crore through a fake investment scheme linked to agricultural tourism here, officials said.
The accused were identified as Muraleedharan, Ashik Murali and Akhil Murali, all natives of Thrissur.
The arrests were made by the Kalamassery police in connection with a fraud involving ATCOS (Agri Tourism Cooperative Society), a firm headquartered at Pathadipalam here.
Police said the company had promised high returns by collecting investments from the public in the agricultural tourism sector, but allegedly cheated hundreds of people and fled with the money.
ATCOS was registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act and operated 13 branches across various districts in Kerala, besides a branch in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, officials said.
When investors failed to receive their promised returns or the invested amount, complaints were filed with the police.
Officials said around 54 cases have been registered against the firm in 32 police stations across the state, including 29 cases at the Kalamassery police station alone.
Following instructions from Kochi City Police Commissioner K S Mahesh Kumar, a special investigation team was formed under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Shehensha and Thrikkakara ACP Manoj Kumar.
The team traced the accused to an apartment in Amala Nagar in Thrissur, where they had been hiding after secretly renting the flat, officials said.
The bank accounts of the accused have been frozen, and steps have been initiated to trace their assets, officials said.
Police also conducted a raid at the company’s office at Pathadipalam and seized several documents related to the case.
The accused were produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Kalamassery, which remanded them to judicial custody and sent them to Kakkanad jail.
Police said they would seek the custody of the accused for further interrogation as the investigation continues.
