Vile abuser who dissolved pregnant teenage wife in bath of acid googled sick question

A controlling and abusive man who killed his pregnant wife before attempting to dispose of her body in a bath full of acid made disturbing internet searches before brutally murdering her. Arnima Hayat, a promising medical student who migrated to Australia from Bangladesh at the age of nine, had dreams of becoming a surgeon and her parents moved to Australia to provide her with the best possible opportunities.

However, after meeting her first boyfriend, 19 year old Arnima found herself trapped in an abusive marriage and expecting a child. Just four months into the marriage, she was terrified and desperate to escape her husband. As a young girl, Arnima had adapted well to her new life in Australia, where her parents ran a successful butcher's shop. She became an Australian citizen, mastered English, and discovered her love for sushi, iced coffee, and makeup.

She was also hardworking, ambitious, and driven by a desire to help others. Her parents had another daughter, with whom Arnima shared a close bond despite an 11-year age gap. When Arnima secured a place to study medicine at Western Sydney University, her parents were filled with pride. They worked tirelessly to cover the fees, and she took up a part-time job at a shopping centre to contribute. However, Arnima's life took a dark turn when she met 20 year old apprentice builder Meraj Zafar. Previously a skinny high school dropout, Zafar had transformed himself in the gym and was now an imposing figure over Arnima.

From the beginning, her family had concerns about his controlling behaviour. He coerced Arnima into drinking alcohol and there were whispers of his drug use. Once a close-knit family, Arnima started to pull away under Zafar's influence. In May 2021, Zafar approached Arnima's father, Abu Hayat, asking for his blessing to marry. Abu was hesitant and asked to meet Zafar's parents. Infuriated by this, Zafar exploded, later bombarding Abu with abusive phone calls, hurling insults like "Are you man or a lady?" and demanding, "Why can't you make a decision? " Disturbed, Abu reported the incidents to the police, resulting in Zafar receiving a restraining order.

Despite the chaos, in October 2021, Arnima and Zafar got married in a private Islamic ceremony, excluding friends and family. The newlyweds moved into a flat in North Parramatta, Sydney, where they became increasingly isolated. Arnima, once lively and sociable, sharing every detail of her life with her family, stopped communicating. The teenager who loved music and shopping retreated into silence as she continued her studies.

By January 2022, a pregnant Arnima confided in friends about Zafar's abusive behaviour, although she hadn't sought police intervention. Arnima was caught in a horrifying cycle of abuse; she needed permission just to step outside and was often belittled as a "dumb bitch" by him. After one terrifying incident involving another man, he strangled her until she passed out. In a series of desperate texts, Arnima begged for an escape from her abusive relationship. She text him, saying: "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.".

Meanwhile, Zafar dismissed her pain with a message saying, "Baby, you need to let go of the past – whatever I did was not me at all.". She confided her fear to friends, pondering if she should seek police help and on 29 January texted, "I have nobody except you," confessing her desire to leave the relationship, only for her friend to reply saying: "You have got no choice. You have to stay with him.".

But Arnima pushed back in her last known communication at 9.10pm that night, writing, "No, I hate him.". The following day, a grim revelation occurred when Zafar's mother informed police her son had admitted to a violent clash with Arnima, leaving doubts whether she she was alive. Meanwhile, Zafar enquired about the cost of overseas plane tickets. Police were later met with a gruesome scene: a flat, reeking of chemicals, and a body in acid so decomposed DNA identification was required - confirmed to be Arnima.

The culprit, Zafar, had disappeared with his white work van, leading officials to spread his photo among the police. But within 20 hours, he turned himself in. Sleuths figured out that Arnima's killing happened just 45 minutes after she messaged her friend, and Zafar was spotted leaving at 9.55pm, by which time Arnima was dead. CCTV later showed Zafar buying 20 litres of hydrochloric acid at a shop and then coming back for 80 more.

Though he denied it, all signs pointed to him trying to get rid of Arnima's body. Internet searches on Zafar's computer revealed chilling questions like "Can hydrochloric acid burn through skin?" and "How many years do you get in Sydney for murder?" before he bought the acid. The awful event devastated Arnima's family, including her parents and little sister, as they couldn't even say a proper goodbye because of the state her body was left in, meaning their custom of an open-casket send-off was a no-go.