Meraj Zafar told police he ‘looked good’ when shown Bunnings CCTV in interview

The man accused of the horrific acid bath murder of his wife allegedly told detectives he “looked good” in CCTV footage of himself buying chemicals at Bunnings.

The man accused of the horrific acid bath murder of his wife allegedly told detectives he “looked good” in CCTV footage of himself buying the chemicals at Bunnings, and said he wanted to run away but had no money to do so in an interview with police.

Meraj Zafar’s wife of four months Armina Hayat’s body was found naked and face down, decomposing in a bathtub of acid around 4.30pm on Sunday at their unit on Pennant Hills Rd, North Parramatta.

Police allege Zafar murdered Ms Hayat, a medical student, sometime between 12-5pm that day and told his parents the pair had a “very bad fight” and she was “turning pink.”

Meraj Zafar is accused of murdering his wife Armina Hayat.

The pair married four months ago.

Her official cause of death is yet to be determined.

However, according to a statement of police facts, Zafar allegedly purchased a 20-litre tub of hydrochloric acid at Bunnings Northmead on Sunday morning before returning to purchase a further four tubs in the afternoon.

That day, police allege Zafar also went to his parent’s house and told them he had a fight with his wife, with his mother allegedly noticing marks on his neck and bruising on his body.

After a citywide search in which Zafar was seen on CCTV travelling in a white tip-truck owned by the construction business he worked for, he called police stating he was turning himself in before walking into police at Bankstown Police Station around 12.20pm on Monday.

Police allege Zafar purchase tubs of acid in the morning and again in the afternoon. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Zafar allegedly told police he “looked good” in footage of himself allegedly purchasing the acid.

Further details have now emerged about the police interview with Zafar, a builder apprentice from Pakistan, on the day after police discovered Hayat’s body.

After Zafar was taken in for questioning, he was allegedly shown stills of himself buying the acid to which he allegedly offered police no comment other than that he thought he “looked good” physically, according to a statement of police facts.

When informed that the same containers were located in the bathroom where Ms Hayat’s body was found, Zafar allegedly made no comment.

The police facts state that in the interview he spoke about the relationship and described being married for four months and “being generally happy with normal arguments” but noted both parents disagreed with the marriage and didn’t attend the wedding.

He also allegedly mentioned that he wanted to run away but didn’t have any money in his bank account. It is understood he has also had to arrange legal representation through Legal Aid due to his financial position.

Zafar’s lawyer Mohamad Sakr appeared on his behalf 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 to allow for a brief of evidence to be filed, until which date Zafar will remain in custody on remand.

Outside court, Mr Sakr said Zafar was “devastated” about being in custody.