Roman Novak, a Russian businessman accused of carrying out a multi-billion dollar cryptocurrency fraud scheme, and his wife Anna Novak have been brutally murdered in the United Arab Emirates. The couple was allegedly kidnapped by criminals who demanded access to their digital wallets, then murdered and dismembered. The circumstances of the crime are being investigated by St. Petersburg police in cooperation with local authorities.
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According to Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, the couple disappeared on October 2 after being lured to a mountain resort in Hatta, near Dubai, by criminals posing as investors with business interests. There, the two were locked up and the kidnapper demanded the password to access Novak’s cryptocurrency wallet.
According to information on the Fontanka portal, the perpetrators executed the couple, dismembered them and disposed of the body parts in a shopping center trash can after realizing that the balance was empty. To this day, the ruins have not yet been completely discovered.
— According to preliminary information, Novak and his wife were kidnapped for ransom. The criminals realized they would not receive the money and killed the two, sources reported in Russian media.
Roman Novak, a Russian national, was known on social media for boasting about his lavish lifestyle in Dubai, posting about his sports car, private plane and trips abroad, including a trip to Disneyland. He also boasted of owning cars worth more than $1.9 million, including a Rolls Royce and a vintage British Cobra.
Novak is known for developing a cryptocurrency investment app that promised quick profits and disappeared with investors’ money after selling around US$500 million (about R$2.6 billion).
Authorities have confirmed that eight people have been arrested in connection with the crime, including former investors who were victims of the scam and a former employee of Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The last signal from the couple’s cellphone was detected in Cape Town, South Africa, on October 4, before it was permanently switched off. The investigation continues in cooperation with UAE police.
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