EXCLUSIVE
The family of a father-of-eight who was allegedly murdered and dismembered by his wife say he had become engaged to another woman in Egypt.
Nirmeen Noufl, 53, allegedly cut up the body of Mamdouh Noufl, 62, using a drop saw and knives before disposing of his remains in plastic bags at various residential and industrial sites across Sydney’s south-west.
The couple allegedly got into a fierce argument on May 3, 2023, after she found out her husband had begun a relationship with the Egyptian woman.
She allegedly attacked her husband during the row, which caused his death.
Now, Mr Noufl’s niece has revealed her ‘deeply religious’ uncle’s new love was not ‘just a girlfriend’.
Under certain branches of Islam, men are permitted to take multiple wives – however, committing adultery with ‘girlfriends’ is frowned upon.
‘He did not have a girlfriend, he was engaged to his fiancé in Egypt,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘He was a pious and religious man and was always attending prayer in Lakemba mosque.
‘It is prohibited in Islam to have girlfriends or boyfriends.’
Nirmeen Noufl, 53, (pictured) allegedly cut up the body of 62-year-old Mamdouh Noufl using a drop saw and knives before disposing of his remains in plastic bags
Mamdouh Noufl (pictured), 62, was allegedly killed by his wife Nirmeen Noufl, 53, after she found out he had a secret girlfriend in Egypt who he was sending money to, police claim
Police will allege that Ms Noufl learned about the relationship and that Mr Noufl – known by the nickname Emad – had been sending money to the woman in Egypt.
Detectives started 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 following her husband’s disappearance, Ms Noufl used his phone and social media to give the impression the small business owner was still alive – and even sent a message to her husband’s lover requesting she send back 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 one month before he was allegedly killed.
The decrepit property, which he bought in 2006 for $483,000, appeared uninhabitable when visited by Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday.
Neighbours said the house – on a generous plot of land – had remained unoccupied for years.
News of Noufl’s arrest has shocked her local community in Sydney’s west, where she was the former director of We Care Disability and Aged Pty Ltd; a family-owned business operating from Belmore.
She was appointed as the head of the business on November 14, 2022, but on July 27, 2023 – just a few weeks after her husband was reported missing – she stood down and handed the directorship over to another relative.
A photo posted online shows her speaking at an event held by a Muslim non-profit organisation in May 2021 about ‘a variety of employment opportunities’ that women may be ‘able to pursue in the field of aged and disability care’.
Neighbours told Daily Mail Australia they were shocked by the news of her arrest.
Pictured: The Condell Park home owned by Emad Noufl, which sold in April 2023
‘She was a very nice lady and very religious. She lived here for more than 20 years,’ one neighbour said.
‘I would speak to her in the morning when she was leaving for work.
‘I am shocked. I couldn’t believe it.’
One friend who had tried to call him and got no answer never suspected any foul play.
‘When he disappeared we thought he moved to another state and didn’t want to talk to anyone,’ Egyptian Islamic Society member, Khaled Yousef said.
‘We would never expect something like this to happen to him.’
Noufl was arrested on Thursday at a hospital in Bankstown where she was a patient and was charged with murder (domestic violence).
She has been deemed a flight risk as she had an apparent interest in relocating to the Middle East before her arrest.
It’s alleged she had previously travelled to Egypt to sell properties and was in the process of purchasing shares in the United Arab Emirates.
Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty told a press conference on Saturday that the Greenacre home had undergone a ‘significant clean-up’ and parts were re-floored.
NSW Police will allege Nirmeen Noufl, 53, cut up the body of 62-year-old Mamdouh Noufl using knives and power tools in their family home in Sydney’s west (pictured)
Police believe the couple’s Greenacre home (pictured) underwent a ‘significant clean-up’ after Ms Noufl allegedly dismembered her husband in May, 2023
He described the deathas ‘brutal’, ‘macabre’ and ‘bizarre’.
‘The remains have not been located and police doubt they will ever be located due to the nature in which they were disposed of,’ Supt Doherty said.
He said police would allege Noufl provided detectives with ‘various versions’ of the whereabouts of her husband.
She allegedly told her children, friends and family that Mr Noufl had flown to Egypt to visit relatives, however no family members were able to 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 as missing, Supt Doherty said.
‘He was a very, very quiet person. He was smiley, very focused on his work,’ a friend told 9News.
Mr 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 very concerned, of course,’ he said.
‘I thought inside that there must be something bad that for sure happened to him.’
The couple moved from Egypt to Sydney over 30 years ago and had lived in the Greenacre home for the past five to 10 years.
Supt Doherty said the couple’s eight adult children, aged in their 20s and 30s, are still ‘processing the information’ and are likely 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 had owned a small business.
Noufl remains in custody and is due to front Burwood Local Court on December 11.
Investigations under Strike Force Tannerie continue.
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