Love twist behind husband allegedly murdered by his wife in Sydney

EXCLUSIVE

Relatives of a father of eight who was allegedly murdered and dismembered by his wife say he was engaged to marry his Egyptian mistress.

Nirmeen Noufl, 53, allegedly dismembered the body of Mamdouh Noufl, 62, using a trap saw and knives before disposing of his remains in plastic bags at several residential and industrial sites in Sydney’s south-west.

The couple reportedly had a heated argument on May 3, 2023, after she found out that her husband was having an affair with a woman living in Egypt. She allegedly attacked her husband during the argument, causing his death.

Now Mr Noufl’s niece has broken her silence to reveal her ‘deeply religious’ uncle’s lover was not ‘just a friend’.

Under certain branches of Islam, men are permitted to take multiple wives, but committing adultery with ‘girlfriends’ is frowned upon.

“He didn’t have a girlfriend, he was engaged to his fiancée in Egypt,” she told Daily Mail Australia.

“He was a pious and religious man and used to attend prayers at Lakemba Mosque.

‘It is forbidden in Islam to have girlfriends or boyfriends.’

Police will allege that Noufl was aware of the affair and that Noufl, known by the nickname Emad, had sent money to his lover in Egypt.

Detectives began searching for Mr Noufl after he was reported missing in July last year – two months after he was allegedly murdered by his wife.

Police will allege that in the weeks after her husband’s disappearance, Noufl used his phone and social media to give the impression that the small business owner was still alive – even sending a message to her husband’s lover asking to return the money he had sent her.

His body has not been recovered.

Daily Mail Australia can also reveal that Mr Noufl sold a property in Condell Park for $1,690,000 on April 1 – just a month before he was allegedly murdered.

The run-down property, which he bought for $483,000 in 2006, appeared uninhabitable when Daily Mail Australia visited on Tuesday.

Neighbors of the building said it had been vacant for years.

News of Noufl’s arrest has shocked her local community in western Sydney, where she was a former director of We Care Disability and Aged PTY LTD, a family business operating from Belmore.

She was appointed head of the company on November 14, 2022, but on July 27, 2023 – just a few weeks after her husband was reported missing – she stepped down and handed over the directorship to another family member.

A photo posted online shows her speaking at an event held in May 2021 by a Muslim non-profit organization about “a variety of employment opportunities” that women “could potentially pursue in the field of elderly and disability care.”

Neighbors told Daily Mail Australia they were shocked by the news of her arrest.

‘She was a very nice lady and very religious. She lived here for more than twenty years,” says a neighbor.

‘I spoke to her in the morning when she went to work.

‘I’m shocked. I couldn’t believe it.’

A friend who had tried to call him and got no answer never suspected foul play.

“When he disappeared, we thought he had moved to another state and didn’t want to talk to anyone,” said Khaled Yousef, a member of the Egyptian Islamic Association.

“We never expected something like this to happen to him.”

Noufl was arrested on Thursday at a Bankstown hospital where she was a patient and charged with murder (domestic violence).

She was considered a flight risk because she had an apparent interest in moving to the Middle East before her arrest.

It is alleged that she had previously traveled to Egypt to sell properties and was in the process of buying shares in the United Arab Emirates.

Detective Inspector Danny Doherty told a press conference on Saturday that the house in Greenacre had undergone a ‘significant clean’ and new floors had been laid.

He described the death as ‘brutal’, ‘macabre’ and ‘bizarre’.

“The remains have not yet been located and police doubt they will ever be located due to the nature of their disposal,” Supt Doherty said.

He said police would allege Noufl had provided detectives with “several versions” of her husband’s whereabouts.

She reportedly told her children, friends and family that Noufl had flown to Egypt to visit relatives, but no family could locate or reach him.

The victim’s bank accounts were also used until July 2023, when friends of the couple reported the 62-year-old missing, Supt Doherty said.

‘He was a very, very quiet person. He was smiley and very focused on his work,” said a friend 9News.

Noufl’s friends only raised the alarm three months after he was allegedly killed, although one friend said he suspected something much earlier.

“I was obviously very concerned,” he said.

“I thought inside that something bad must happen to him.”

The couple moved from Egypt to Sydney more than 30 years ago and have lived in the house in Greenacre for the past five to 10 years.

Supt Doherty said the couple’s eight adult children, aged between 20 and 30, were still “processing the information” and were believed to be in distress.

Some family members have thanked their community for their “support and prayers.”

Supt Doherty said the victim had close ties to his community in Western Sydney and owned a small business.

Noufl remains in custody and is due to appear at Burwood Local Court on December 11.

The investigation led by Strike Force Tannerie continues.

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