Meraj Zafar to remain in custody charged with new wife’s murder
An aspiring doctor found dead in an acid bath in Sydney’s west had married the man accused of killing her weeks earlier.
Police & Courts
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The woman whose body was found in an acid bath in chilling scenes over the weekend had allegedly wedded the alleged killer just weeks earlier.
Aminah Hayat, 19, had moved to Australia just a few months ago and only met husband Meraj Zafar, 20, a few weeks ago.
It is understood the parents of the pair did not want them to wed and there had been disagreements in the past about the decision to marry.
Zafar has been charged with murder and will remain behind bars for at least another two months, when his lawyer has suggested he could apply for bail.
He was taken into custody on Monday afternoon following a citywide manhunt after Aminah Hayat’s body was found submerged in a bathtub filled with acid.
Emergency services were confronted by the horrific scene at the couple’s Pennant Hills Rd, North Parramatta unit around 4.30pm on Sunday after receiving a call from one of Zafar’s relatives concerned about Hayat’s welfare.
Police forced entry into the home, where they found 19-year-old Hayat’s body in the bathroom and tubs of corrosive chemicals nearby and called hazmat crews and Fire and Rescue NSW to assist.
Zafar was on Monday evening charged with one count of murder after he handed himself into Bankstown Police Station hours after his white tipper truck was found dumped at Bunnings Greenacre.
Police allege in court documents that Zafar murdered Hayat sometime between 12-5pm on Sunday.
Ms Hayat’s mother, Mahafuza Akter, was at a loss over her daughter’s death.
“My daughter not coming, my daughter not coming,” Ms Akter told Channel 7 on Tuesday.
Ms Hayat was in her second year of studying medicine at university and dreamed of becoming a surgeon.
Her father, Abu Hayat, told Channel 7 she wanted to help others.
“Everyone hoped she become a … doctor,” Mr Hayat said.
“She wanted to help people.
“I want my daughter, I love my daughter.”
The Pakistani community is reeling following news of the alleged crime, with Danish Naqush from the Pakistan Association of Australia saying he was shocked.
“It really shocked me,” he said.
“We belong to the Muslim community and killing one person is killing humanity for us. It’s against our culture.”
Zafar did not appear at Bankstown Local Court on Tuesday, where his lawyer Mohamad Sakr applied for the matter to be adjourned to April 5, 2022 to allow more time for documents to be gathered.
Mr Sakr did not apply for bail and bail was formally refused. However, Mr Sakr said he could apply for bail “in due course.” Zafar will remain behind bars in police custody until the next hearing.
Outside court, Mr Sakr said he hadn’t spoken to Zafar but that his client was “distraught” about being in custody.
He said he would await his client’s instructions as to whether he would apply for bail at the next hearing.
“I will be seeking instructions in relation to my client’s position,” he said.
He said he was not with him when he handed himself into police, but that he had done the right thing by doing so.
“He has done the right thing and attended the police station,” he said.
As detectives combed through the scene for clues on Sunday, police launched a citywide manhunt to find Zafar, who was captured on CCTV driving a white pick-up truck and spotted in the Clemton Park area.
One neighbour described her death as “horrific.”
“She’s young, she’s 18, she doesn’t get to do anything, do you know what I mean?” the neighbour said. “My heart goes out to her, no one deserves.”
The neighbour said the couple kept to themselves.
“They didn’t talk to anyone, they kept to themselves, he just went in and out, she was always kind of in the apartment, they weren’t friendly,” the neighbour said.
Ali Safari, who lives in the unit where the woman allegedly died, said Ms Hayat enjoyed listening to music and that he had spoken to Zafar about his Pakistani background.
“He said I’m Pakistani, I said I’m Iranian, I told him what’s your name? And he said Meraj, I said my father’s name is Mourad,” Mr Safari said.
Another neighbour said Zafar worked in the construction industry.
Parramatta Police Area Commander Superintendent Julie Boon said on Monday the scene was confronting for emergency services, with hazmat and Fire and Rescue NSW crews called in to assist.
“The scene was very challenging for arriving police when they did arrive and found chemicals at the unit they retreated and called other units.”
Neighbour George Hamilton Milner heard a scream hours before the woman’s body was found.
“I was in the backyard about 2pm and I heard someone who sounded like they were about to sing and then it turned into a scream. It was really abrupt and then police arrived.”
“We’ve been here for a couple of years and haven’t heard of anything bad so it was a bit of a shock to hear it happened across the road.”
Forensic detectives were seen combing the scene for evidence and bagged several items for forensic testing, including clothing and aerosol spray bottles on Monday.
It is understood Zafar had called relatives before the incident complaining that he had a fight with Hayat.
Her cause of death is yet to be confirmed, with a post-mortem set to take place in due course.
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