Tech entrepreneur found 'beheaded' in luxury apartment

WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: The mutilated body of the CEO of ride-hailing app Gokada has been found in his multi-million dollar apartment in New York City.

Fahim Saleh, 33, was found “decapitated and dismembered” by his sister on Tuesday afternoon, local time, according to The New York Times.

A Police spokesperson told media when they arrived on the scene they found the man’s torso and an electric saw still plugged in nearby.

Several large plastic bags reported to contain more body parts were also discovered in the apartment.

"We have a torso, a head that's been removed, arms, and legs. Everything is still on the scene," police spokesman Carlos Nieves told the Daily News.

Detectives believe Mr Saleh’s sister may have interrupted the killing and prompted the suspect to flee through a service entrance to the apartment.

Surveillance camera footage captured the last moments of Mr Saleh in the building’s elevator, with another person who was wearing a black suit and black mask following closely behind.

In the the video, the elevator door opens directly into Mr Saleh’s apartment where he and the masked person immediately start to struggle, officials told The New York Times.

Mr Saleh’s sister can be sen entering the building shortly after.

A senior NYPD official leading the investigation confirmed to NBC New York on Wednesday that the motive appeared to be financial in nature.

Mr Saleh’s company is reported to be worth more than $US5 million ($7.14 million).

Mr Saleh is well known in Lagos, Nigeria, where he helped launch Gokada, the former bike hailing company that has moved into delivery services following the government’s ban on passenger motorcycles.

Gokada released a statement on Twitter, saying the company was "deeply saddened to inform you about the sudden and tragic loss of our founder and CEO, Fahim Saleh. Fahim was a great leader, inspiration and positive light for all of us".

Friends described Mr Saleh as the "Elon Musk of the developing world" for his work to bring an Uber-like startup to Nigeria.

A close friend of Mr Saleh, who didn’t want to be identified told NBC he was a positive person and initially thought his death was a prank after she found out about it through a friend and Mr Saleh’s sister.

"In terms of his energy, I've never met anyone like him. He's always on the go," she said.

"One of the neighbours heard screaming and very loud noises when this happened. I don't know why the neighbours didn't call the cops," she said.

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