Naresh Bhatt, the husband of missing Virginia mom, Mamta Kafle, told police in newly released footage from an August 2nd encounter that his wife had "destroyed" her phone.
The footage obtained by WUSA9 shows the initial interaction Bhatt had with law enforcement regarding the disappearance of Kafle.
Bhatt answered the door for officers, who explained they were looking for his wife.
As he held their young daughter, he replied, "Yeah, she left on Tuesday/Wednesday, and then she said she was going to go to New York or Texas, and then she destroyed the phone and left."
The officer repeated the statement, as Bhatt can be seen nodding his head and saying, "Yeah, her sister, like one of her sisters."
Authorities continue to press him for more details, asking why Kafle would have left.
Bhatt explained that they were separating and home inspection would be taking place as he was listing the home for sale.
When asked for Kafle's sister's phone number, Bhatt told officers he usually uses Facebook to communicate and does not have her phone number.
Furthermore, he stated that she was unwilling to live with his parents and implied that since she had received her green card, she may have just taken off.
The officer tells him, "Her employer just called us to check if she was okay. So that's why we're here. We don't need to bother you."
"That's fine. She's supposed to be there. You know, usually, like, I don't know... I- I cannot say, you know, like where she goes," said Naresh Bhatt.
He then told officers that Kafle battles with mental health issues.
"I told her, like, multiple times, let's go to the psychiatrist," said Naresh Bhatt.
On September 20, a judge ordered Bhatt to continue being held with no bond, ruling that there was overwhelming evidence to consider him a flight risk and danger to the community.
His trial date on the charge of concealing a dead body is scheduled for December 9.
