Gifted medical student Arnima Hayat moved to Australia from Bangladesh with her family when she was nine. She dreamed of being a surgeon one day and her parents had moved countries to give her the best opportunities in life. But after meeting her first boyfriend, Arnima, 19, found herself trapped in an abusive marriage with a baby on the way. Just four months into the marriage she was scared and desperate to leave her husband.
As a young girl, Arnima had quickly fitted into her new life in Australia, where her parents established a thriving butcher's shop. She became an Australian citizen and perfected her English. She discovered a love of sushi, iced coffee and make-up, and she was also hardworking, ambitious and wanted to help people. Her parents had another daughter and Arnima was close to her, even though she was 11 years younger.
Arnima's parents were full of pride when she secured a place studying medicine at Western Sydney University. They worked hard to pay the fees and she got a part-time job at a shopping centre to help.
But then she met Meraj Zafar, 20, and her world started to spiral. The apprentice builder had been a skinny high school dropout before he bulked himself up at the gym. He towered over Arnima and, right from the start of their relationship, her family were concerned about how he was trying to control her. Zafar would try to get Arnima to drink alcohol and there were rumours he was a drug user. Arnima had always been close to her family, but started to pull away under his influence.
In May 2021, Zafar went to Arnima's dad, Abu Hayat, and asked for permission for them to marry. Abu was reluctant and asked to meet his parents. Zafar was furious and shouted. Later he phoned Abu a few times, swearing and being abusive.
“Are you man or a lady?” he yelled. “Why can’t you make a decision?”
A concerned Abu went to the police. Zafar admitted making the calls and was issued a form of restraining order.
This story is from the February 03, 2025 edition of New UK.
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This story is from the February 03, 2025 edition of New UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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