The mother of a Queens woman whose dismembered remains were discovered months after her disappearance says she is struggling to process the loss as police move forward with murder charges against the victim’s husband.
“I can’t feel happy, I can’t feel sad. All of my feelings just locked off. I have no feelings,” said Paula Sequea, speaking from Trinidad and Tobago in an interview with Eyewitness News.
Authorities allege that 33-year-old Salisha Ali was killed and dismembered by her 75-year-old husband, Rupchand Simboo, in Queens, New York, last July.
Human Remains Discovered Months Apart
Investigators say Ali’s torso was first discovered by sanitation workers in September. More recently, additional remains — including her head, legs and an arm — were found at the Jamaica Wildlife Refuge last week.
Police say evidence recovered during the investigation linked Simboo to the crime. According to authorities, plastic wrapping and rope found in his home matched materials used to bind the victim’s torso. Detectives also cited cellphone data placing him near locations where Ali’s remains were discovered.
Simboo has been charged with murder, obstructing governmental administration and tampering with physical evidence.
A Relationship the Family Questioned
Sequea said she initially had concerns about her daughter’s relationship with the much older man. The two reportedly met when Simboo visited Trinidad in 2022.
“I had not approved of it because of the age difference,” Sequea said. “I told her he could be your grandfather.”
Ali, a mother of three, later moved to the United States to live with Simboo, hoping to build a better life for herself and her children.
Her mother said the relationship soon became strained, with Ali describing controlling behavior.
“He was trying to control her — don’t go here, don’t go there,” Sequea said. “He’d tell her don’t go to work, you can stay home. And she told him, ‘I did not come here to be a housewife. I came here to work and establish myself.’”
Months of Uncertainty
Sequea said she stopped hearing from her daughter in July. In the months that followed, she believed Simboo’s explanation that Ali had moved out and cut contact with family members.
That changed when detectives contacted her in October asking if she could help identify tattoos found on human remains.
Authorities later confirmed that the remains belonged to Ali.
Arrest Brings Some Relief
Simboo was arrested and charged this week after investigators linked him to the case.
Despite her grief, Sequea said the arrest brought some measure of relief.
“I broke down and cried because I was so relieved that he was finally going to pay for what he did,” she said.
The investigation by the New York City Police Department remains ongoing as prosecutors prepare the case against Simboo.
