Gokada app founder died of multiple stab wounds, NY medical examiner says

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The technology entrepreneur found slain and dismembered in his luxury Manhattan condominium earlier this week died of multiple stab wounds to the neck and torso, the New York City medical examiner said on Thursday.

The body of Fahim Saleh, 33-year-old founder of the popular motorbike-hailing app Gokada, was discovered in his apartment on Tuesday afternoon, police say.

Local media reported that his body had been decapitated and dismembered, the parts placed into separate plastic garbage bags. A power saw and cleaning supplies were found plugged in nearby.

Security camera video showed Saleh in the apartment building’s elevator with a man in a dark suit, mask and gloves, the media reports said. Video footage showed the suspect following Saleh into the seventh-story apartment, where a struggle began.

Saleh, who was born in Saudi Arabia to Bangladeshi parents and grew up in New York, founded the Pathao ride company in 2015 and in 2018 the Gokada motorbike hailing app.

Gokada was widely used in the Nigerian megacity of Lagos until state officials in February banned motorcycle taxis, known locally as “okada,” which dealt a serious blow to the company.

“We at Gokada are shocked and saddened to hear that Fahim Saleh, our founder and CEO, passed away under tragic circumstances in New York earlier this week,” the company said in a statement posted to social media on Wednesday.

The New York Times, citing an unnamed law enforcement official, reported that investigators were trying to determine if Saleh’s grisly murder, which made international headlines, was related to his business.

“Nigeria is an unforgiving market. Focus obsessively – less is more. Have integrity. Build trust. Be patient. The market will reward you in time,” Saleh tweeted on July 2.

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