HORROR IN NEW YORK

The grisly murder of high-flying tech whizz has led to the arrest of his assistant

- LAVERN DE VRIES

HE SEEMED to be riding an escalator that was going only one way – straight to the top. His tech ventures had taken off to such an extent he was called the Elon Musk of the developing world and he had the lifestyle to show for it – including a multimillion-dollar apartment in one of the trendiest parts of Manhattan.

Fahim Saleh was just 33 yet everything he touched seemed to turn to gold. Among other things he was the CEO of a motorbike-hailing app and he’d made a fair fortune. He was a likeable guy, open-faced, often smiling, pleasant to know.

So when he disappeared recently many people were worried about him – and it turns out they had good reason to be. Fahim had been murdered and the horror of his slaying has left New York reeling.

After he’d gone silent for a while a family member went to Fahim’s flat to see if he was okay. What he discovered will no doubt haunt him for the rest of his life.

Fahim’s torso was in one corner of the living room, while plastic bags containing his head, arms and legs were found in another part of the apartment.

An electric saw, still plugged in, a vacuum cleaner and detergents were found nearby. The killer had clearly been disturbed by the family member in the process of cleaning up and had managed to sneak away.

Police originally thought the person they suspected of the murder had fled the area but he was actually hiding in plain sight.

After combing the scene for clues, cops found Tyrese Devon Haspil in a loft apartment in NoHo less than 2km away from the murder scene.