Chilling new details have emerged about the final hours of a cryptocurrency entrepreneur and his wife, who were found dead and buried in concrete in a remote desert area of the United Arab Emirates.
A Grisly Discovery in the Desert
The bodies of Roman Novak, 38, and his 37-year-old wife Anna were discovered wrapped in polyethylene bags and concealed in a remote location. The couple, originally from Russia but living in Dubai, had been reported missing in October. Their remains were found largely intact, despite being buried.
Investigators believe the pair were lured to a rented villa in Hatta under the false pretence of a meeting with potential investors. They were driven part of the way by their personal chauffeur before switching to another vehicle for the final leg of the journey.
The Final Hours and a Desperate Ransom Demand
Authorities state that the couple were likely tortured at the villa in an attempt to gain access to their cryptocurrency wallets. In a harrowing twist, it is suspected they were forced to watch each other be subjected to violence.
Just hours after they arrived at the villa, friends received messages from the couple's phones claiming they were "stuck in the mountains on the Oman border" and urgently needed 152,000 pounds. Contact was then lost. Signals from their mobile phones continued to ping for several days, first within the UAE and later near Cape Town, South Africa, with a final signal on October 4. Police believe the phones were deliberately moved to create a false trail.
A Failed Crypto Empire and International Arrests
Roman Novak was the founder of Fintopio, a cryptocurrency transfer platform that launched in 2023. The company reportedly raised around 370 million pounds from investors in China, the Middle East, and elsewhere, based on promises of partnerships with major tech firms. It abruptly closed for an "operational review" in October, locking users out of their funds.
Novak had a criminal past, having served a three-year prison sentence in Russia for crypto fraud before relocating to Dubai with his family. Three people have now been arrested in Saint Petersburg in connection with the double murder. One suspect is former police officer Konstantin Shakht, 53, who investigators allege arranged the hit. The two other suspects have reportedly confessed, while Shakht denies the charges.
The couple leave behind two young children, who were not with them at the time of the killings. The children have been reunited with Anna's father and stepmother in Dubai. The victims' remains are expected to be repatriated to Russia.
