Russian businessman Roman Novak, accused of running a billion-dollar cryptocurrency fraud scheme, and his wife Anna Novak, have been brutally murdered in the United Arab Emirates. The couple were allegedly kidnapped by criminals who demanded access to their digital wallet, before being killed and dismembered. The circumstances of the crime are being investigated by the St. Petersburg police, which is conducting it in cooperation with local authorities.
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According to the Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, the couple disappeared on October 2, after they were lured to a mountain resort in Hatta, near Dubai, by criminals posing as investors interested in their business. There, the two were held while the kidnappers demanded passwords to access Novak’s cryptocurrency wallet.
When they realized that the balance was empty, the criminals executed and dismembered the couple, leaving parts of the bodies in rubbish bins in the shopping center, according to information from the Fontanka portal. To date, the location of the remains has not been fully determined.
– According to preliminary information, Novak and his wife were kidnapped for ransom. When the criminals realized that they would not get the money, they killed them – a source told the Russian press.
Roman Novak, a Russian national, was known on social media for his luxurious life in Dubai, where he published posts about sports cars, private planes, and international trips, including trips to Disneyland. He also boasted of owning cars valued at more than $1.9 million, including a Rolls Royce and an antique British Cobra.
Novak became known for creating a cryptocurrency investment app that promised quick profits and made around US$500 million (about R$2.6 billion) before disappearing with investors’ money.
The authorities confirmed that eight people were arrested in connection with the crime, including former investors who were harmed by the fraud and a former employee of the Russian Ministry of the Interior.
The last signal from the couple’s phones was detected on October 4, in Cape Town, South Africa, before they were permanently switched off. Investigations continue in cooperation with the UAE police.
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