A Russian crypto entrepreneur with a controversial past has become the centre of one of the most chilling Dubai crime stories of the year.
Roman Novak and his wife, Anna, were allegedly kidnapped, held for ransom, and then butchered in a resort in the middle of a desert.
“To watch your partner / love being tortured… must have been horrific,” one commented online.
A Russian crypto entrepreneur with a controversial past has become the center of one of the most chilling Dubai crime stories of the year
Image credits: t0r
Trigger warning: this article contains details that may be distressing to some.
Roman Novak, a convicted crypto fraudster, had allegedly fled with around $500 million and was living a lavish lifestyle in Dubai with his wife.
The couple was last seen on October 2 after their driver dropped them off at a mountain resort near a lake in the Hatta area, close to the UAE border with Oman.
Image credits: t0r
Reports said the couple exited their vehicle and then entered another car, thinking they were going to meet potential investors.
However, Roman and Anna were taken to a villa in the town of Hatta, where the alleged kidnappers tried to steal their cryptocurrency.
The couple thought they were meeting potential investors and were lured to a resort on the outskirts of Dubai
Image credits: _eroshenko_
As per newly released details, the captors allegedly tortured the couple in front of each other in gruesome ways and forced them to provide access to their crypto wallets.
Cops said Roman frantically sent messages to his contacts at some point, claiming he was “stuck” and needed around $202 million.
Image credits: t0r
The alleged kidnappers tortured the couple side-by-side and forced them to unlock their crypto wallets, but they were found to be empty.
They then ended the couple’s lives, dismembered their bodies, and stuffed parts of them into thick plastic bags, which were then doused in industrial solvents to speed up decomposition and erase DNA evidence.
New details revealed that the couple was tortured side-by-side and forced to give the codes to their cryptocurrency wallets
Image credits: EyeEm / freepik (not the actual photo)
An investigation into the couple’s disappearance began after relatives contacted authorities and said they hadn’t heard from them in a while.
Officials conducted a massive search of a 500-by-500-meter square stretch of sand near the barren Hajar mountains where their phones had last pinged.
Their remains were uncovered in the desert area.
Officials believe the perpetrators also hid evidence of the crime in different areas.
Image credits: t0r
“The investigation has established that the k*llers had accomplices who helped organise the abduction,” said Svetlana Petrenko of the Russian Investigative Committee.
“They rented cars and premises where the two victims were held by force,” she said.
“After the m*rder, the perpetrators disposed of the knives and the victims’ personal belongings, leaving them in different emirates,” she added.
Investigators dug up a stretch of land and uncovered the slain couple’s remains
Image credits: t0r
Roman and Anna, who left behind two children, were believed to be living expensive lifestyles in the UAE.
Online photos often showed them in expensive cars, including a Rolls-Royce and a vintage British Cobra car.
They were also seen flying in private jets and enjoying vacations in foreign destinations.
Image credits: t0r
However, Roman also had a notorious past in the Russian crypto scene. He was convicted and sentenced to six years in prison in 2020 for a large-scale fraud case.
After being granted parole, he moved to the UAE in 2023 and continued seeking investors for different ventures.
He raised around $500 million from prominent Chinese, Russian, and Middle Eastern investors, presenting himself as the founder of a crypto payment platform called Fintopio.
But after hoarding the investment money, the husband and father allegedly fled with the cash.
Roman allegedly fled with investors’ money after presenting himself as the founder of a crypto payment platform called Fintopio
Image credits: t0r
Investigators believe the alleged kidnappers may have been after the stolen investment money.
Three Russian citizens, former police officer Konstantin Shakht, Yury Sharypov, and Vladimir Dalekin were identified as suspects in the case.
Image credits: east2west news
The suspects traveled from the UAE to St Petersburg following the alleged crimes and were arrested for the couple’s passing.
Yury and Vladimir reportedly pleaded guilty to the crimes, while Konstantin denied any involvement.
All three remain in custody.
“Is that a gangsters paradise over in Dubai?” one asked online
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