'Very nice' mum-of-eight 'dismembers husband after discovering secret girlfriend'

Nirmeen Noufl, 53, allegedly 'butchered' and dismembered her husband Mamdouh Noufl, 62, after discovering he was having an affair. She was charged 18 months after his death

A woman allegedly killed and dismembered her husband after discovering he had a secret girlfriend in another country.

The arrest of Nirmeen Noufl, 53, left neighbours shocked as they described the mum-of-eight as "a very nice lady" and a "very religious" person who had lived in the Greenacre suburb of Sydney, Australia, for 20 years. New South Wales police launched an investigation after 62-year-old Mamdouh Noufl was reported missing by family and friends in July 2023.

He had not been seen since May 2023. It is alleged that the couple got into an argument after Noufl, who was the director of a disability care service provider, discovered that her husband was having an affair with a woman who lived in Egypt, and was planning to travel overseas.

The woman allegedly attacked her husband during the argument, killing him, then used a drop saw and knives to cut his body and disposing of his remains in plastic bags at various residential and industrial sites in Sydney. It is alleged that the victim had been active on social media and had accessed his bank account after May 2023, which police believe could be the reason why his family in Egypt and friends in Australia didn't initially realise he was missing.

However, police allege that his wife had taken over his phone and social media account after his death. Homicide squad detectives took over the case after police deemed Mr Noufl's disappearance to be suspicious. His wife was arrested on Thursday and a crime scene warrant was executed at her and her husband's home, ABC News reported.

The woman was taken into custody at Bankstown Police Station and charged with murder on Friday morning. Detective Superintendent Daniel Doherty said police said they were treating the incident as a "domestic violence" murder as he added: "Police will allege Mamdouh Noufl was intentionally killed by Nirmeen Noufl. We will allege also that she butchered and dismembered his body, placed his body parts in plastic bags and then disposed of his remains in various rubbish bins in the residential areas and industrial areas of south-west Sydney."

Police also alleged that there was an "extensive clean-up" and "reflooring" of the couple's home, as Superintendent Doherty said: "The murder is brutal, but it's also macabre and bizarre." Noufl was refused bail and appeared in Bankstown Local Court yesterday. She will appear in Burwood Local Court on December 11.

Neighbours 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 20 years," one said. "I would speak to her in the morning when she was leaving for work. I am shocked. I couldn't believe it."

The pair had eight children but none of them are believed to have been involved. Superintendent Doherty said: "They have lost their father in a brutal and macabre manner." If convicted, Noufl could spend the rest of her life in prison under laws preventing the parole of killers who refuse to cooperate in the search for remains of victims.