New South Wales Police have arrested and charged a man after his girlfriend's body was allegedly discovered in a bathtub filled with acid.
Arnima Hayat, 19, was found dead in her North Parramatta apartment on Pennant Hills Road at 4:30pm on Sunday after concerns were raised for her safety 7 News reported.
Police said they were searching for Hayat's boyfriend Meraj Zafar, 20, on Monday with detectives circulating an image of him with a warning to the public to stay away.
After a manhunt that covered several suburbs over 20-hours on the run, Zafar handed himself into Bankstown Police Station shortly before 1pm on Monday.
"About 4.30pm on Sunday, emergency services were called to a unit on Pennant Hills Road responding to reports of an alleged domestic violence-related incident," NSW police said in a statement.
Zafar was charged with murder by police and has been refused bail. He will appear at Bankstown Local Court on Tuesday.
Parramatta Police Area Commander Superintendent Julie Boon said they called for specialist HAZMAT officers from Fire and Rescue NSW for assistance once chemicals were found.
"The scene was very challenging for arriving police. When they did arrive and found chemicals inside the unit, they retreated," she said.
A neighbour recalled the moment he thought the horrific incident took place.
"I was in the backyard yesterday and at about two o'clock I heard somebody, it sounded like they were about to sing and then it turned into a bit of a scream," neighbour George Hamilton Milner told 7 News.
