Ten days have passed since 32-year-old Zalima “Ashma” Naimool of Biche went missing and hope is fading for her relatives that she will return to them alive, safe and sound.
Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, Naimool’s boyfriend, Rajindra “Dodi” Rampaul, 30, of Biche, said he picked up Naimool at her sister’s house at Dinsley, Tacarigua, on June 3, at about 4 pm.
Rampaul said he took her shopping and then they went to a bar at Arima Old Road where they had some drinks. He said “she had three Ginseng.”
He said during their time together, Naimool told him that she had plans to meet a friend after their lime.
“I kept asking her who was the friend she was going to meet and she kept saying a friend. I kept pressing her to tell me and she called a name, Stacy, and I said ok.
“But I never knew any of her friends that well but I still said ok. I had given her $500 earlier and told her to use that to buy food for she and her friend,” Rampaul said.
“I was having car problems so she insisted for me to let her drop out at one point and travel to meet her friend. I don’t know the roads properly because I am not from the area but I dropped her off somewhere in Arouca,” he added.
Rampaul said after a few hours he tried calling her cellphone several times and did not get in contact with Naimool.
When asked if he was worried about Naimool’s disappearance, he replied: “Of course, we have been together almost 18 months and I love her very much and I know that she loves me.
“I am trying to find her, I even went to one of her friend’s who works in a drugstore and asked if she had seen her and she told me no. I even went to a male friend of hers and he said no, also.
“I am so worried. I am not sleeping, not eating. My mother is very worried and her pressure is sky high over this.
“Ashma and I are real good and loving to each other. She will be celebrating her 33rd birthday on June 23 and I promised her to take her to Tobago.
“My birthday is one week after hers so that lime would have been our birthday lime and gift to each other,” he said.
“I am hurting. This is paining me and it is too much to bear,” Rampaul said.
On Wednesday, Naimool’s sister, Nia, appeared on CNC3’s Crime Watch programme. She told host Ian Alleyne that her sister lived with her and it was customary for Rampaul to pick her up to go and lime. She told Alleyne that she found it strange that Naimool never returned home and that she never got a proper explanation from Rampaul as to what became of her sister after they spent time together.
Naimool was last seen dressed in a tan brown jersey top and a tan colour pair of jeans with high heels, bronze in colour.
Anyone who may have information on Naimool’s whereabouts are asked to contact the Biche Police Station at 668-9044, the Arouca Police Station at 640-6138 or Nia at 776-5009.