Prosecutors began cross-examining Naresh Bhatt on Thursday afternoon, and they went directly at his credibility. Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Matthew Sweet pointed to how completely Bhatt’s story had changed since 2024 and told him, “You’re a liar,” according to NBC4 Washington, which reported from the courtroom. “Yes,” Bhatt replied.
“You lied,” Sweet continued, and applause broke out in the courtroom before Judge Kimberly A. Irving called for order, NBC4 Washington reported.
According to Court TV’s live coverage of the cross-examination, Sweet then walked Bhatt through the people he has acknowledged lying to since Mamta Kafle Bhatt disappeared — her friends, her brother Mahesh Kafle, her mother Gita Kafle, police officers and neighbors. Sweet reminded Bhatt that he once told police he never lies, then told him: “You’re an admitted liar to this entire jury.”
“You’re an admitted liar to this entire jury.”
— Prosecutor Matthew Sweet, cross-examining Naresh Bhatt
Under questioning, Bhatt acknowledged that he has a lot on the line and could go to prison if he is convicted, Court TV reported. Asked whether witnesses for the prosecution had lied on the stand, he named several people, including Mamta’s friend Sarita, but struggled to explain what he believed was untrue in their testimony.
The cross-examination later turned to allegations involving other women. Court TV reported that Judge Irving interrupted the questioning after an outburst from a spectator, told the person they could not control themselves and ordered them to step outside. The questioning paused briefly, then resumed.
Hours earlier, on direct examination, Bhatt had told the jury he found Mamta dead in their bedroom on the morning of July 30, 2024. He insisted she died by suicide. He also admitted cutting up her body with a saw and putting her remains in the trash so they would not be found. He has denied killing her.
That account is the opposite of what Bhatt told police and reporters in 2024, when he said Mamta had left their Manassas Park home after an argument and was likely in New York or Texas, NBC4 Washington noted.
Outside the courtroom during the lunch break, Mamta’s friends told reporters they did not believe him. “He has no emotions. He has no regret. He has no remorse. He is playing victim. He wants to pretend that he cares. Nobody is gonna buy his lies,” said Prakash Devkota, according to NBC4 Washington.
Inside the courtroom on Thursday, some jurors rolled their eyes at points during Bhatt’s testimony, and one juror could be heard laughing at something he said, NBC4 Washington reported. People in the gallery gasped during parts of the testimony, and Mamta’s mother left the courtroom at one point.
Bhatt was still on the stand when Thursday’s session ended, and the cross-examination is expected to continue on Monday.
Bhatt, 39, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, concealing a dead body and defiling a dead body. Prosecutors say he killed Mamta, a 28-year-old nurse, on July 30, 2024. Her body has never been found.
Also Read: Naresh Bhatt’s Bombshell Testimony: Says Mamta Died by Suicide and Admits He Dismembered Her Body
Also Read: Naresh Bhatt Testifies in His Own Defense on Day 16 of Murder Trial
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