Chilling internet searches made by a controlling husband, who murdered his teenage wife before dissolving her body in acid, have been revealed.
Arnima Hayat, 19, was pregnant and trapped in an abusive marriage to Meraj Zafar, 20 in Sydney, Australia, who was violent and controlling, forcing her to distance herself from her family.
The talented medical student, who dreamed of becoming a surgeon, became scared and reclusive, confined to the house as she continued her studies, and had to ask permission from her husband just to go outside.
In January 2022, Zafar brutally murdered her before attempting to dispose of her body using hydrochloric acid, leaving her family devastated. In December 2024, he was sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison.
Arnima and her family had relocated from Bangladesh to Australia when she was nine to give her the best opportunities. She adapted well to her new life, mastering English and becoming an Australian citizen before earning a place at Western Sydney University to study medicine.
Her parents were filled with pride for their eldest daughter, and remember her as being hardworking, ambitious and keen to help others, reports the Mirror.
However, they became concerned about apprentice builder Zafar’s controlling nature from the start of his relationship with Arnima as he towered over her. He pressured her to drink alcohol, and was also rumoured to take drugs.
In May 2021, he asked Arnima’s father Abu Hayat for his blessing to marry her, but he was doubtful about accepting his request. Zafar later taunted him with repeated angry phone calls, shouting, “Are you a man or a lady?” and “Why can’t you make a decision?” Abu reported him to the police, and he later received a restraining order.
Regardless of what her family said, in October 2021, the couple married in a private Islamic ceremony without any friends or relatives there, before secluding themselves in their flat in Sydney. All communication between Arnima and her family then stopped.
The following January, Arnima was pregnant. She opened up to friends about her husband’s abuse, but did not contact the police, despite his repeated taunts and insults, and violent behaviour, fearing his next move.
In one horrific incident, he strangled her until she passed out after accusing her of cheating on him. Pleading messages from her read, “I just don’t want to say this to your face because I’m scared you’re going to bash me again,” and “I don’t want a son like you”. Zafar replied: “Baby, you need to let go of the past – whatever I did was not me at all.”
On January 29, 2022, she messaged a friend with, “I have nobody except you”, signalling she wanted to leave him. Her friend responded: “You have got no choice. You have to stay with him.” Her final communication before her death, at 9.10pm, read: “No, I hate him.”
The next day, Zafar had told his mum he had got into a violent argument with Arnima, and wasn’t sure if she was alive, prompting her to alert the police as he checked prices to travel out of the country.
Officers were forced to break into the couple’s flat, and discovered the horrifying sight in the bathroom of a badly decomposed body lying face down in the bath, submerged in acid. DNA later identified the body as Arnima.
Meanwhile, Zafar had vanished in his work van, making him the prime suspect. He handed himself in to police 20 hours later, after an image had been released of him. The police investigation revealed Arnima had been murdered just 45 minutes after her last text, with Zafar leaving the flat less than an hour later.
He was picked up on CCTV at a DIY store the next morning, buying 20 litres of hydrochloric acid, returning later for another 80 litres. Although he denied it, further evidence pointed to him attempting to dispose of Arnima’s body.
Chilling searches on his browsing history included, “Can hydrochloric acid burn through skin?” and “How many years do you get in Sydney for murder?”
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Zafar pleaded guilty to Arnima’s murder in May 2024. The judge described his actions as, “obstructing her breathing or smothering her”, before attempting to get rid of her body using acid. Her family were unable to follow their tradition of an open coffin funeral due to the condition of her remains.
The judge continued: “He acted in such a way because of his anger and the prospect of Ms Hayat leaving him, highlighting a history of controlling and violent behaviour from Zafar. This was against a background of controlling and violent behaviour by the offender. The offence occurred in the home of Ms Hayat, where she was entitled to feel safe.”
He was sentenced in December to 21 years and six months in prison, with a minimum term of 16 years. Arnima’s father Abu spoke about how Zafar had shattered their family. He said: “I miss my daughter every day and see her face in my dreams. “He burned the face I used to kiss every night. Can you imagine someone burning your child?”
Her mother Mahafuza Akter issued a heartbreaking statement, read out by a support person: “There is no joy, no laughter, only suffering and pain. My tears are neverending and the deep ache in my heart never stops.” She admitted all she wanted was a final glimpse of her daughter, adding: “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.”
Zafar expressed his remorse in a letter to the court, which read: “I don’t know how to begin to say how sorry I am for all that I have caused and all that I have affected through my actions. It’s the most terrible thing to do to someone else.”
The judge noted that him referring to Arnima as “his wife” rather than by her name indicated his possessive nature towards her.
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