Wendy Khan's boyfriend remains a big question mark in case of missing Minnesota mother

This is part 2 of a two-part series of articles on this case. To read part 1, go here.

MANKATO, Minn — At the time of Wendy Khan’s 2018 disappearance, she was living with long-term boyfriend Mohammad Bilal Chughtai in a Mankato, Minnesota home.

The relationship, according to Wendy Khan’s daughter, Aneisah Khan, had been on-and-off again throughout the years. It had survived a number of relocations, with Wendy Khan residing in Iowa, Pennsylvania and Shakopee, Minnesota, throughout the course of their courtship.

Yet in December 2017, Wendy Khan made the move from Pennsylvania to Mankato, where she resided with Chughtai. This living arrangement was new to the couple — this was a big step, according to Aneisah Khan.

“It wasn’t like they were exclusively together before, like how they were in Mankato,” Aneisah Khan said. “They were exclusively living in that house together.”

Photo courtesy of Bex Realty.

Six months into the living situation, Wendy Khan was planning to move out. She and her daughter had begun to search for apartments. They entertained the idea of purchasing the home from Chughtai, who was planning to sell the house and move to the Twin Cities.

“He told her that’s not going to happen, that he wasn’t going to sell the house to her,” Aneisah Khan said. “And he was not nice about it at all.”

According to Aneisah Khan, Chughtai wasn’t nice about a lot of things. On June 2, 2018, the last time she saw her mother, Chughtai was threatening to call the police on Aneisah Khan if she didn’t leave their home — a threat her mother objected to.

The incident wasn’t surprising to Aneisah Khan. Her mother had begun a relationship with Chughtai when Aneisah was just a teenager. Even then, Aneisah wasn’t fond of him.

“I never liked him from a young age,” she said. “I would come home from basketball practice and he was there and I would just go downstairs or go in my room. I wouldn’t talk to him."

Photo courtesy of Aneisah Khan.

On July 10, 2018, roughly one month after Wendy Khan went missing, Chughtai sold his home on the 100 block of West Ninth Street in Mankato. He has not been heard from since.

A background check on Chughtai shows no activity following the July 2018 sale of his Mankato home — he has not registered an address or used his social security number for work purposes.

This is inconsistent with his history of actions since arriving in the United States from Pakistan in the 1980s. A Social Security number was granted to him in Utah between 1984 and 1988, according to a comprehensive background report. Since 1988, he has maintained a consistent record of addresses throughout the United States, including locations in Georgia, Texas and Minnesota.

Chughtai has also maintained consistent employment records until 2018, including businesses owned in Texas and Minnesota. Voter registration indicates the last time he voted was in Mankato on Nov. 8, 2016.

Mankato Department of Public Safety Assistant Director of Operations Jeremy Clifton declined to comment specifically on Chughtai. However, he did indicate that attempts were made to speak to anyone with a known relationship with Wendy Khan.

Clifton also declined to comment on whether law enforcement searched Chughtai’s vehicle or attempted to gain access to his communications.

The investigation into the disappearance of Wendy Khan is not classified as a criminal investigation. To date, there has been no evidence of foul play. Chughtai is not considered a suspect, according to the Mankato Department of Public Safety.

Attempts by Forum News Service to email Chughtai have gone unanswered. Voicemails left on a Verizon cell phone account connected to his name have not been returned.

A criminal history 

Before —and during — his relationship with Wendy Khan, Chughtai was found guilty of multiple violent crimes in Texas and Minnesota.

Photo courtesy of Texas Department of Public Safety

None of the criminal charges or convictions were related to Wendy Khan.

Texas court records indicated he was convicted on charges related to domestic assault and evading police. Chughtai was convicted on one charge of “assault causes bodily injury of family member,” classified in Texas as a class A misdemeanor. The conviction stemmed from a Jan. 30, 2006 incident, according to court records.

Later that year, he was convicted on one charge of evading arrest with a motor vehicle, a felony. The initial arrest occurred on Feb. 26, 2006, according to court records.

Chughtai’s criminal convictions continued after his move to Minnesota. In 2016, he was convicted in Blue Earth County on a misdemeanor domestic assault charge stemming from a 2015 incident.

Photo courtesy of Texas Department of Public Safety.

Later that year, he was convicted on a misdemeanor domestic abuse charge related to violating an order for protection.

On May 17, 2017, a jury found Chughtai guilty of stalking and violating a no contact order. The violation occurred at Mankato Clinic, where Chughtai followed the victim down two flights of stairs to the basement, according to court documents. During this time, Chughtai blocked the victim from the top of the stairs, while also grabbing the victim’s arm.

Chughtai contested the convictions, contending that evidence presented in court did not prove he attempted to cause the victim to feel frightened or intimidated. On June 25, 2018, the court rejected the appeal.

After failing to appear in court, a probation violation notice was issued on July 6, 2018, resulting in a warrant for his arrest — two days before Chughtai sold his Mankato home.

Clifton would not indicate whether or not the Mankato Department of Public Safety is actively searching for Chughtai. He did specify that anyone who had a relationship with Wendy is important to the investigation.

“I think anyone that was a part of Wendy’s life at the time of her disappearance… I’m speaking in generalities,” Clifton said. “Anyone that was a part of her life that may have additional information that we haven't been able to collect would be of value, whether they were in Mankato or not in Mankato, and were available to speak with investigators that handled this disappearance.”

Nearly four years after Wendy Khan went missing, Clifton said the investigation into her disappearance remains open, with investigators eager to find additional missing pieces of the puzzle.

“We’re reviewing material again and again that has been given to us from past occurrences,” Clifton said. “We are looking and always looking for new information. Is it possible that something that we already have in our possession could become the key piece of information to provide her location? It’s possible, but more likely in this situation we’re relying on someone out there in the public to provide that next snippet that’s going to allow us to find Wendy.”

As for Aneisah Khan’s mission to find her mother, she says the key to finding answers is to keep looking.

“Keep her in your thoughts and keep spreading the word,” she said. “We care about her. We want her to come back home. But realistically, we just want closure at this point. She deserves that. We deserve that.”