Meraj Zafar: Acid bath accused caught buying chemicals at Bunnings

The man accused of murder allegedly bought hydrochloric acid at Bunnings and called his mother saying the couple had a fight and his wife was “turning pink”.

The man accused of murdering his wife who was found in an acid bath was allegedly filmed on CCTV purchasing tubs of hydrochloric acid at a Sydney Bunnings store and called his parents saying they had “a fight” and she was “turning pink” on the day of the alleged murder.

In a statement of police facts obtained exclusively by The Daily Telegraph, police will allege Meraj Zafar, 20, called his parents on Sunday in a panicked state hours before his wife Armina Hayat’s body was found in an acid bath.

Aminah Hayat and Meraj Zafar married just four months ago. Picture:: 9 News

The couple. Picture: Instagram

Zafar, an apprentice builder by trade originally from Pakistan, called his parents on the day of the alleged murder saying he had “a very bad fight” with Ms Hayat, a 19-year-old medical student, and she was “turning pink,” according to the police facts.

The police allegations state that Zafar’s parents told the accused to call an ambulance.

His parents then allegedly called police, who attended the couple’s unit at Pennant Hills Rd, North Parramatta around 4.30pm and found Ms Hayat’s body naked and face down in the bathtub and submerged in a brown substance.

Twenty litre tubs of hydrochloric acid were allegedly found near Ms Hayat’s body, with police forced to call hazmat and Fire and Rescue NSW crews for assistance.

Zafar was not located at the unit, with detectives launching a citywide search after they discovered CCTV footage of him driving a tip-truck with the registration MAKKAC in Western Sydney.

That tip truck was allegedly registered under the name of the construction company he worked for as an apprentice. It is not alleged that the company or its other employees have engaged in any wrongdoing.

Zafar allegedly purchased at least one of the 20 litre tubs of hydrochloric acid from Bunnings Northmead.

Bunnings Northmead, which Zafar was alleged to have visited.

CCTV footage obtained by police allegedly shows Zafar purchasing a 20-litre tub of hydrochloric acid around 10am on Sunday at Bunnings Northmead, just hours before police allege Ms Hayat was murdered.

Police allege Zafar returned to Bunnings around 3pm that day to purchase a further four containers using the same credit card, with CCTV footage police believe to be of him driving a white tip truck to the store.

Police allege in court documents that Zafar murdered Ms Hayat sometime between 12pm and 5pm on Sunday, hours after the first tub of acid was allegedly purchased. However, police are still unsure exactly when and how Ms Hayat was allegedly killed.

Hayat’s body was found in the bathtub of their North Parramatta unit.

Police will allege Zafar went to his parents’ house while on the run and told them he had a fight with his wife. His mother allegedly noticed marks on his neck and bruising on his body.

Zafar had then allegedly contacted police and said he was going to turn himself in after noticing media coverage surrounding the search for him.

About 12.20pm on Monday, he presented himself at Bankstown Police Station and handed himself in.

The apartment block on Pennant Hills Rd. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

It is understood that in an interview with police, he described being married to Ms Hayat for four months and being “generally happy with normal arguments” but said their parents were not happy about the relationship and didn’t attend their wedding.

Zafar’s lawyer Mohamad Sakr appeared at Bankstown Local Court on Tuesday where he did not apply for bail and was formally refused bail.

The matter was adjourned to March 5 at Parramatta Local Court.