Police have identified the man whose headless and limbless body was found inside his Lower East Side condo on Tuesday afternoon alongside an electric saw. They are now combing through surveillance video, and have focused on a man believed to be the victim's killer.
The victim was identified as Fahim Saleh, a 33-year-old tech entrepreneur who resided in a condo at 265 East Houston Street, which he reportedly purchased for over $2 million late last year. Saleh was the CEO of Gokada, a Nigeria-based motorcycle-sharing company, and frequently updated his social media feeds with photos of his new home and his vision for his company.
In February, he posted a video asking for support "to regulate motorcycle taxis rather than ban them."
Police from the 7th Precinct made the grisly discovery at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday following a welfare check requested by Saleh's sister. His head and limbs were dismembered, and placed in plastic bags. An electric saw was also found at the scene, and was still plugged in. Police soon set up a crime scene, ushering a woman believed to be the victim's sister into the building and to her brother's seventh floor apartment.
Though police have no official suspects, the Daily News reports that video surveillance from the apartment building shows Saleh inside an elevator with a man in a suit wearing gloves, a hat, and mask. Sources told the paper that once Saleh walked out of the elevator he fell onto the floor, either shot or stunned.
“The perp had a suitcase. He was very professional,” a police source told the Daily News.
Months before his death, Saleh posted a video on his Twitter account admonishing Nigerian authorities who issued a crackdown on his company, according to Reuters. He also defended Gokada in several posts he shared on Medium. The company shared news of his death on Twitter:
"Entrepreneurs are the ones that really change countries; that really change cities. They're the ones who bring the vision that he wants to bring the passion. They're the ones who bring people together to make amazing things happen." said Saleh.
NBC News reports that Saleh — described by a close friend as a "positive person who always saw the glass half full"— was a target. His killing may have been motivated from the "result of a bad business deal."
