A convicted Russian cryptocurrency fraudster and his wife were allegedly forced to watch each other being tortured to death before their bodies were encased in concrete and buried in a desert, according to reports.
Roman Novak, 38, and his wife Anna, 37, were last seen on October 2 after being lured to the resort of Hatta, 80 miles outside Dubai, by criminals posing as potential investors. Their dismembered bodies were discovered in a Dubai desert more than a month later.
Russian media reports claim the couple were forced to give up access codes to their cryptocurrency wallets, but the wallets were empty, prompting their murders. Their bodies were then stuffed into polyethylene bags, doused with chemicals to speed decomposition and destroy DNA evidence, and buried near the Oman border.
The couple are believed to have been targeted by a gang aware of the success of Novak's crypto app Fintopio, which raised £380 million. Novak was later accused of defrauding investors. Three Russian men have been arrested in St Petersburg and charged: Konstantin Shakht, a former police officer, Yury Sharypov, and Vladimir Dalekin. Sharypov and Dalekin have pleaded guilty; Shakht denies the charges. All are remanded in custody until December 28.
