Tech CEO Fahim Saleh’s killer wore ‘ninja outfit’, escaped via service exit when interrupted by victim's sister
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: A police source has said that the hitman of Fahim Saleh wore a ninja-style outfit, killed the tech millionaire inside his posh apartment, and left his dismembered body as he was interrupted by the victim’s sister who rode the elevator upstairs for a visit. Saleh’s dismembered and decapitated body was found inside a Lower East Side apartment on Tuesday afternoon, July 14. Police found contractor bags near the torso of the victim in the $2.25 million apartment, which the 33-year-old bought last year.
The source also indicated that the killer fled via a staircase as the sister of Saleh came to the seventh-floor residence using the elevator. Her sudden arrival interrupted the killer who couldn’t dispose of the body before escaping. Also, the power saw with the help of which the 33-year-old’s body was reportedly cut was found by investigators at the scene. It was still plugged into an electrical outlet. The source said cleaning materials were also found inside the apartment.
“He was dressed like a ninja, full out, so you can’t even see his face. He clearly knew what he was doing. We think his intent was to get rid of the body parts and go back and clean it up and make it look like nothing happened. He left before he finished the job,” the source added as reported by The New York Daily News.
It has also been said that the murderer was alerted by the sister’s buzzing from the E. Houston St. lobby, where she was admitted by the virtual doorman. Saleh’s sister called 911 after finding her brother’s dismembered body. She reportedly came to his condo at around 3:30 pm on Tuesday to see him after not having heard from him for around a day. The autopsy results of Saleh revealed that he was repeatedly stabbed in the chest. Police sources added that the suspect used a stun gun to incapacitate the victim before killing him.
Meanwhile, a Daily Mail report has stated that at the time of Saleh’s death, a former prison guard turned criminal had sued him. Kirk Eady was jailed for using the entrepreneur’s app PrankDial to secretly record and listen to employees' phone calls. Eady, the former deputy director of Hudson County Correctional Facility, has used the app to place a call between two employees without them knowing he was listening to whatever they said. He listened to their conversations and also their complaints about him and about their jobs, following which Eady retaliated against them in the workplace, according to prosecutors. For the crime, he was sentenced to 15 months in jail in 2017. He also sued Saleh for fraud, claiming his app made him think listening to other’s phone conversation was legal.
Police sources claimed that the murder was financially motivated but no other detail has emerged regarding that. The LinkedIn page of Saleh describes him as the CEO and founder of Gokada, "a motorcycle ridesharing company that has completed over one million rides since launching in 2018” in Lagos, Nigeria. He was also known for investing in developing countries and businesses. Gokada was reportedly not in a good position recently as it was banned earlier this year by the Nigerian government. The move by the government led the firm to lay off staff and also forced it to work as a delivery courier.