Man Who Killed Pregnant Wife and Dissolved Her Body in Acid Bath Sentenced to 21 Years: Reports

Mar. 15, 2025

The outside of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.Photo:WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty

WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty

An Australian man who killed his pregnant wife and then put her body in a bath of acid has been sentenced to over 21 years in jail.

On Thursday, Dec. 19, Meraj Zafar, 23, appeared via video link in the Supreme Court in Sydney, where Justice Deborah Sweeney delivered the verdict, per theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation(ABC).

Zafar and Arnima Hayat, 19, married in a private Islamic ceremony in October 2021 without family or friends in attendance, theSydney Morning Heraldreported. Hayat’s body, which had to be identified using DNA samples, was found just a few months later after Zafar killed her at their home in the Sydney suburb of North Parramatta on Jan. 29, 2022, according to the outlet.

Close up of a police vehicle in Sydney, Australia.Getty

Getty

Zafar has been sentenced to 21 years and six months, with a non-parole period of 16 years,9Newsreported. He will be eligible for parole in 2038.

The court heard that the day before her death, the victim had texted a friend saying: “I have nobody except you,” to which the friend responded, “You have got no choice. You have to stay with him,” per the ABC.

He reportedly googled “Can hydrochloric acid burn through skin?” multiple times, before purchasing the acid which he placed in the bath, per the outlet.

“He acted in such a way because of his anger at the prospect of Ms Hayat leaving him," judge Sweeney said in court, theSydney Morning Heraldreported of his apparent motive.

Sydney, Australia.Steve Christo/Corbis via Getty

Steve Christo/Corbis via Getty

The victim’s father, Abu Hayat, said in a victim impact statement that Zafar had “burned the face I used to talk to and kiss every night,” according to the publication.

Hayat — who was a medical student — also texted a friend, “I hate him,” just hours before her death, 9News reported. The outlet added that the victim had told friends she was planning to leave her husband but was “scared” and that he’d “frequently bashed and strangled her.”

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The publication reported that Hayat didn’t report the violence to police, but mentioned it to friends multiple times.

On the night of Hayat’s murder, Zafar’s mother reportedly called police after her son told her the couple had had a fight and she wasn’t breathing, per 9News.

source: people.com