Australia: Pakistani Boyfriend charged with murder after body of Bangladeshi background woman found in bathtub

Meraj Zafar, 20, has been charged with the alleged murder of his wife Aminah Hayat, 19, (pictured together)

The boyfriend of a woman who was found dead in her apartment in North Parramatta has been charged with her murder.

WARNING: This story includes details some readers may find distressing.

Police found the body of 19-year-old Arnima Hayat in a bathtub filled with acid.

They were called to the unit block on Pennant Hills Road on Sunday afternoon after a relative raised concerns about the woman’s welfare.

Officers forced their way into the ground-floor apartment but had to retreat when they were overcome by fumes from chemicals inside the unit.

A specialist team wearing HAZMAT suits was called in and spent several hours examining evidence inside the apartment.

Superintendent Julie Boon from NSW Police described the scene as “very challenging” for officers.

The woman’s partner Meraj Zafar, 20, handed himself in to police after detectives issued a public appeal for information and was last night charged with murder.

He did not appear in court when the matter was briefly heard at Bankstown Local Court on Tuesday.

Bail was formally refused and he was remanded in custody until April 5.

Outside court, his lawyer Mohamad Sakr said Mr Zafar was “distraught” and was entitled to the presumption of innocence.

“He is distraught about being in custody,” he said.

 “It is just a matter of whether he intends to fight this matter or not.”

Mr Sakr confirmed that his client had a relationship with the victim but said he would be making no comments on the allegations until he saw the prosecution’s brief of evidence.

He said the accused had “done the right thing” by handing himself in to police.

A tipper truck found at Greenacre has been seized by police and is being examined by a forensic team as investigations continue.

A post-mortem examination on the woman is expected to be completed on Tuesday.

Police have appealed to anyone who heard or saw anything near the crime scene to come forward.

Bangladeshi  background  Ms Hayat’s father Abu Hayat and mother Mahafuza Akter said they had little contact with their daughter after she moved in with the alleged killer about six months ago.

The Bangladeshi background teen, who moved to Australia when she was younger with her parents, was in her second year of university studying medicine with dreams of becoming a surgeon.

Ms Hayat and Zafar married just weeks before her gruesome death.

‘Everyone hoped that she would become a big doctor,’ Mr Hayat said. ‘She wanted to help people.’

Court papers revealed Ms Hayat may have been slumped in the tub for more than a day before she was found.

Prosecution documents reveal police believe Ms Hayat was allegedly murdered between midday and 5pm on Saturday – more than 24 hours before police found her body.

Police smashed their way into the apartment in North Parramatta on Sunday after worried relatives raised the alarm.

In the couple’s salmon pink bathroom at their rented $320-a-week two-bedroom unit, they allegedly found the Aminah’s remains dissolving in the acid bath.

Detectives launched a public appear to find Zafar.

Accused killer Meraj Zafar is seen in new pictures as he shares a tender moment with teenage lover Aminah Hayat – before he allegedly killed her and dumped her body in a bath of acid

Zafar’s lawyer Mohamad Sakr faced court on his behalf on Tuesday and said the alleged killer was ‘distraught’ about being in custody after his first night behind bars.

Ms Hayat’s hairdresser Sadia Ali said she was heartbroken by the horrific tragedy.

‘It’s terrible news,’ she told Daily Mail Australia. ‘She was such a beautiful soul.’

Locals recalled Ms Hayat as being an ideal neighbour but rarely spoke to her. Zafar told neighbours he was from Pakistan but they said his English was excellent.

Next door neighbour Ali Safari identified the couple from social media photos and said Ms Hayat had ‘seemed very happy’ and was ‘smiling and pleasant’.

He added: ‘She was always playing music. She was quiet, I never spoke with her.’

As well as his truck, neighbours said Zafar also owned a black BMW coupe which was allegedly searched and removed by detectives.

Parramatta Police Area Commander Superintendent Julie Boon said police had found her body in the bathroom of the first-floor unit along with chemicals.

‘The officers forced entry into the unit and inside the bathroom they found the body of a female,’ she said.

‘I can confirm there were chemicals found inside the bathroom of the unit. I can’t confirm what they were.

‘The scene was very challenging for arriving police. When they did arrive and found chemicals at the unit, they retreated and called other units.’

Zafar will return to court in April.

ABC, Daily Mail