An Australian man has been sentenced to over 21 years in prison after killing his pregnant wife and trying to destroy her body with acid.
Zafar and his wife, Arnima Hayat, who was 19, married in a private Islamic ceremony in October 2021. They didn’t have any friends or family at the ceremony, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Just a few months later, on January 29, 2022, Zafar killed his wife at their home in North Parramatta, a suburb of Sydney. Her body had to be identified using DNA samples.
After killing her, Zafar tried to destroy her body by buying five 20-liter tubs of acid over two trips. He put the acid in a bathtub, hoping to dispose of her remains, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. CCTV footage showed Zafar driving to a store the day after the murder to buy the acid.
Zafar was sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison, with the possibility of being released on parole in 2038, as reported by 9News.
Before her death, Hayat had sent a message to a friend saying, “I have nobody except you.” The friend responded, “You have got no choice. You have to stay with him,” according to ABC.
Justice Sweeney explained that Zafar killed his wife by suffocating her the day after she sent that message. Zafar had also searched online about how hydrochloric acid might burn through skin before purchasing the acid. This shows he had planned what he was going to do with her body, according to reports.
The judge also said that Zafar’s actions were driven by anger because he was worried that Hayat was going to leave him. Zafar had shown controlling and violent behavior before, and he killed her in their home, a place where Hayat should have felt safe. This was a serious crime, and the judge described it as a sad situation for Hayat’s family.
Hayat’s mother, Mahafuza Akter, was extremely upset after hearing the court’s decision. She broke down in tears and couldn’t be comforted. Hayat’s father, Abu Hayat, also gave a victim impact statement, saying that Zafar had “burned the face I used to talk to and kiss every night,” referring to how badly Zafar had hurt his daughter.
Hayat had been a medical student, and before her death, she had also sent a text message to a friend saying, “I hate him.” She had told friends that she was planning to leave her husband but was too scared to do so because he had often abused her.
Hayat mentioned that Zafar had frequently hit and strangled her, but she had never reported it to the police. She only told her friends about the violence.
On the night she was murdered, Zafar’s mother called the police after her son told her that he and his wife had argued and that she was not breathing. This led to the police investigating the situation, and it became clear that Zafar had killed Hayat.
The Supreme Court of New South Wales (NSW) did not respond to requests for comment, and the NSW Police Force said they could not give further details as the case was still in court.
This case has shocked the community, especially because of the cruel way Zafar treated his wife and tried to cover up his crime. It has also left Hayat’s family in deep pain, and they will never forget what happened to their daughter.
