Salim Mehajer, the former Auburn deputy mayor whose 2015 wedding made him a household name, has been charged with domestic violence and larceny-related offences after being arrested at a cafe in Sydney's west. Officers from the NSW Police Domestic Violence High Risk Offender team took the 40-year-old into custody at Wentworth Point around midday on Wednesday, according to ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The arrest followed an investigation into an alleged domestic violence incident.
Mehajer was escorted to Auburn Police Station, where he was charged with domestic violence-related common assault, larceny exceeding $15,000, and domestic violence-related stalking or intimidation with intent to cause fear of physical harm. He is due to appear in court.
Why it matters
The charges place Mehajer back in the legal system roughly 16 months after he walked out of John Morony Correctional Centre near Windsor on parole in July 2025. He had served about three years and nine months of a seven-year sentence for fraud, assault and domestic violence offences. At the time of his release, the State Parole Authority assessed his risk of reoffending as "medium," ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
The case also draws attention to the work of the police unit that made the arrest. The Domestic Violence High Risk Offender team targets people assessed as posing serious danger, and its involvement signals how the allegations are being treated.
Alleged jewellery theft and a phone call
ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation understands the larceny charge relates to jewellery valued at about $41,000. Police will allege a woman handed the items to Mehajer after he promised they would be returned as a wedding gift.
According to police documents cited by the broadcaster, the woman later rang Mehajer's father to ask about the jewellery. That call allegedly led to Mehajer phoning her. In that conversation, he is accused of asking where she obtained his father's number and using a derogatory term, then warning her to stop involving his family. He allegedly threatened to assault her and told her she was "playing with fire."
Mehajer's solicitor, Mohommed Bazzi, declined to comment when approached by ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
From a street-closing wedding to repeated jail terms
Mehajer became widely known in 2015 while serving as deputy mayor of Auburn, when he held an extravagant wedding that included four helicopters and a procession of luxury cars and motorbikes. A street in Lidcombe was closed for the celebration without permission. Residents were further angered when fake flyers were dropped in letterboxes warning that cars would be towed if they blocked the event.
Over the years that followed, he was jailed at various points for corruption, assault, fraud and domestic violence offences. A court previously heard he spent most of his time in custody in protective segregation.
When he left prison in July 2025, Mehajer told reporters he would not be commenting. "I respectfully decline to comment, sorry," he said at the time.
What happens next: Mehajer's matter is expected to come before a court, where the charges will be tested. Watch for the court date and whether police allege further incidents beyond those already outlined in the documents.
