Arnima Hayat was an intelligent, vibrant medical student with her whole life in front of her, and huge dreams to strive for. But everything changed when the 19-year-old met evil Meraj Zafar
At 19, gifted medical student Arnima Hayat had the whole world at her feet. Devastatingly, what should have been a bright future was cruelly snatched away by her evil husband, Meraj Zafar.
Arnima’s parents couldn’t have been prouder when their clever daughter was accepted to study medicine at Western Sydney University with dreams of becoming a surgeon.
The hardworking couple had moved to Australia from Bangladesh to give their children the very best start in life. And Arnima, who was just nine years old when her family made the life-changing move, flourished.
Everything changed, however, when Arnima met her first boyfriend, Zafar, 20.
From the beginning, loved ones were concerned over Zafar’s controllng behaviour. They also didn’t like that the apprentice builder pressured Arnima into drinking alcohol, or that there were rumours swirling around his abuse of drugs.
Family girl Arnima, who was once very close with her parents, began to distance herself, held under possessive Zafar’s influence. Then a turning point came when Zafar approached Arnima’s father, Abu Hayat, asking for his daughter’s hand in marriage.
Hesitant, Abu asked if he could first meet Zafar’s parents – and his reasonable request was met by sheer fury. Zafar began to bombard Abu with insult-filled phone calls, demanding, “Are you a man or a lady?” and “Why can’t you make a decision?” Things got so bad that Abu reported the incidents to the police, resulting in Zafar being slapped with a restraining order.
Sadly, Arnima slipped further and further away from her worried family members after she married Zafar in October 2021. Friends and family weren’t invited to the ceremony, and the once vibrant, outgoing student became increasingly reclusive.
The newlyweds settled into an apartment in North Parramatta, Sydney, and by January 2022, Arnima, who was by then pregnant, confided in friends about her husband’s abusive behaviour. Arnima, who hadn’t sought police intervention, was forced to request permission from Zafar even to step outside. He would often refer to her as a “dumb b****”, and he once even strangled her until she lost consciousness.
On January 29, Arnima texted a friend expressing her wish to leave Zafar, telling them, “I have nobody except you.” When the friend responded, “You have got no choice. You have to stay with him”. Arnima replied “No, I hate him.” She was never heard from again.
The following morning, Zafar’s mother contacted the police, informing them that her son had confessed to an altercation with Arnima, which had left him uncertain as to whether his wife was even alive. Zafar had also enquired about the price of overseas plane tickets.
After forcing their way into Zafar and Arnima’s flat, officers were immediately struck by an overwhelming chemical odour emanating from the bathroom. It was then that they discovered a bathtub filled with hydrochloric acid containing a severely corroded body that could only be identified by DNA testing. The remains were confirmed to be Arnima.
By this point, the key suspect, Zafar, had disappeared alongside his white work truck, prompting authorities to circulate his image among the police force. Within 20 hours, he surrendered himself.
Investigators deduced that Arnima’s murder occurred a mere 45 minutes after her final text to a friend, with Zafar leaving the premises at 9.55pm, by which time Arnima was already deceased.
Surveillance footage captured Zafar the next day, purchasing 20 litres of hydrochloric acid from a hardware store and later returning for another 80 litres. Despite his denials, evidence pointed to him as the perpetrator attempting to dispose of Arnima’s remains.
For his crimes, Zafar was sentenced to 21 years and six months, with a minimum term before parole set at 16 years. Expressing her grief via a victim impact statement read by a support person, Arnima’s mother, Mahafuza Akter, told the court. “There is no joy, no laughter, only suffering and pain. My tears are neverending and the deep ache in my heart never stops.
“Instead, I sit by her grave every Friday, stroking the grass because I can no longer stroke her hair. I kiss and hug her tombstone, longing to hold and smell her.”
Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com
