In early 2022, one of the most shocking and grotesque crimes in recent memory shocked Australians. When her husband, Meraj Zafar, murdered 19-year-old Arnima Hayat, it shocked the country, not only in terms of its inhumanity, but also on account of the narrative of power, fear and domestic abuse it revealed. The conviction and guilty plea on Zafar in the year 2024 brought some closure to the family of the victim; however, it begs the question of how society should deal with violence in intimate relationships.
Who Was Meraj Zafar?
Before this case occurred, the public had not heard much about Meraj Zafar, a 23-year-old Western Sydney Resident. He was residing in North Parramatta with his young wife, Arnima Hayat, whom he had secretly married a few months ago. Outwardly, people knew little of the couple. Yet inside the house, all was not smooth.
A much later indication of an alarming relationship based on control, intimidation and fear was shown in the court documents. Arnima, a promising young lady who was pursuing a course to become a medical practitioner, had vented to close acquaintances about the unfortunate marriage. There were text messages and flash records that indicated that she was trying to get out of the relationship with Zafar, who was abusive and emotionally controlling.
The Crime That Stunned a Nation
On 30 January 2022, police had been dispatched to a site on Pennant Hills Road, North Parramatta (a townhouse), where they had found a grisly scene. The body of Arnima was found in the bathtub, in a corrosive type of acid. Meraj Zafar has tried to dissolve her body with hydrochloric acid, which he purchased at a Bunnings outlet in large quantities.
The forensics found out that Arnima had been strangled to death or smothered. After the murder, Zafar had made some Internet searches- Googling such phrases as how to dissolve a body in acid, and finding details about maximum sentences in jail for murder. He had thought carefully about how to dispose of her body.
Zafar later drove to a police station and turned himself in, which took police officers back to the scene of the crime. Even the seasoned officers were not spared the sheer horror of the crime. One of the detectives termed it a horror movie.
Motive and Abuse
At the core of the case, there was fascination with control on the part of Zafar. The Supreme Court justice, Deborah Sweeney, states that Zafar displayed his deed as an extreme response to finding out that Arnima had chosen to depose him. He used to be very violent and manipulative, keeping her away from her family and instilling fear to control her.
Friends testified that Arnima had started complaining that she was not safe. She said to a friend in one of her last messages: “I am afraid of him. I have no idea what he is going to do.” These are the words which, unfortunately, came true.
Her family, Arnima, was found out to have known nothing about the marriage up to the time she had died. In court, her mother, Mahafuza Akter, collapsed, adding that her daughter, Joy, had stolen her joy, everything.
The Legal Process and Sentencing
Zafar was charged with murder, but also later pleaded guilty, and this saved her from several trials. He was sentenced in December 2024 by the Supreme Court of NSW, with the judge reprimanding him severely for his actions.
Justice Sweeney indicated that this murder was not spontaneous but was highly planned and very cruel. According to her, acid in which the body of a person was to be disposed of, depicts a breezy disrespect to human dignity.
Zafar was convicted of 21 years and 6 months in prison with a non-parole period of 16 years. This implies that he will become eligible for release in 2038, when he will be 40 years old.
And the judge recognised the profound psychological effect on the family of Arnima, especially the younger sister, who had awaited the arrival of her sister home without her realising that she had already been killed.
The Broader Impact
The incident of Meraj Zafar and Arnima Hayat is a sad narrative of what can go wrong with intimate partner violence. According to the statistics of the Australian Institute of Criminology, there are 10 disappearances of women annually because a current or former partner killed them.
This case gave impetus to the further social debate around the theme of domestic violence, coercive control, and the necessity of prompt action. Advocacy groups of women also demanded support provisions for young women, particularly individuals of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who can be found to be trapped in abusive relationships.
Remembering Arnima
Throughout the trial and the media hype, one forgets that there is a person bereft of hope at the centre of this drama. Friends and family recalled Arnima as kind, intelligent and ambitious. Her dream was to be a doctor and assist people. It was an abhorrent way to take away her life that was just starting.
Her mother cried during the sentencing, making the emotional statement, No mother should bury their daughter in such a manner. I shall remember her smile, her laughs. She was light and he took it away.
Final Thoughts
The case of Meraj Zafar killing Arnima Hayat is among the most gruesome incidents of domestic violence that Australian people remember. It is an eye-opener that reveals a serious need to identify red flags and provide vulnerable individuals with the means to escape, ensuring that justice is served even in the most dire situations.
The name of Meraj Zafar will always be associated with a crime that not only ruined one life but also ruined the lives of many wrongdoers. Nevertheless, in the darkness, the legacy left behind by Arnima serves as a wake-up call to awareness, compassion, and change.
