Salim Mehajer, the former Auburn deputy mayor, was arrested at a cafe in Wentworth Point in Sydney's west around midday on Wednesday and has been charged with domestic violence and larceny-related offences, according to ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The 40-year-old was taken to Auburn Police Station after officers from the NSW Police Domestic Violence High Risk Offender team detained him, the ABC reports. The arrest followed an investigation into an alleged domestic violence incident.
The charges include domestic violence-related common assault, larceny of more than $15,000, and domestic violence-related stalking or intimidation with intent to cause a person to fear physical harm.
Why it matters
The charges place Mehajer back before the courts less than a year and a half after he left prison. ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports he was released on parole in July 2025 after serving about half of a seven-year sentence for crimes that included fraud, assault and domestic violence offences.
At the time of his release, the State Parole Authority assessed his risk of reoffending as "medium," the ABC reports. The new allegations will draw attention to how that assessment was made and to the supervision arrangements that applied to him after release.
The case also carries weight because of the police unit involved. The Domestic Violence High Risk Offender team handles cases identified as presenting elevated danger, and its involvement signals how the allegations are being classified.
Alleged theft of jewellery worth $41,000
According to ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the larceny charge concerns the alleged theft of jewellery valued at $41,000.
Police would allege that a woman handed the jewels to Mehajer after he promised they would be returned to her as a wedding gift, the ABC reports.
Police documents cited by the ABC state that the woman later contacted Mehajer's father to ask about the jewellery, and that this allegedly led to a phone call from Mehajer. In that call, he is alleged to have asked where she obtained his father's number, used a derogatory term, and demanded to know why the family had been told.
The documents allege he then threatened her, saying he would assault her if she did not remove them from the matter, and warned that she was "playing with fire" and did not know who he was, according to the ABC.
Mehajer's solicitor, Mohommed Bazzi, declined to comment when contacted by the ABC.
A public profile built on notoriety
Mehajer first became widely known in 2015, while serving as deputy mayor of Auburn, over a wedding celebration that drew national coverage. A street in Lidcombe was closed for the event, which featured four helicopters along with luxury sports cars and motorbikes, the ABC reports.
Residents were angered further when fake flyers were distributed through letterboxes warning that cars would be towed if they blocked the proceedings, according to the ABC.
In the years that followed, he served several periods in custody for corruption, assault, fraud and domestic violence offences, the ABC reports.
When he walked out of John Morony Correctional Centre near Windsor in July 2025, Mehajer told reporters he would not be commenting. A court had earlier heard that he spent most of his time in custody in protective segregation.
He had served three years and nine months of the seven-year term before the State Parole Authority recommended his release.
Mehajer is expected to appear in court over the new charges. Watch for the court listing and for any application relating to bail, which will indicate how the matter is likely to proceed.
