The bodies of a cryptocurrency millionaire and his wife have reportedly been discovered in the desert of the United Arab Emirates, with authorities alleging that the couple was murdered and dismembered.
Roman Novak, 38, a Russian crypto tycoon, and his 37-year-old wife Anna, a former TV journalist, were found dead after disappearing several weeks ago.
Investigators believe the brutal killing was orchestrated by two men who had fought in the Russia–Ukraine war and a former homicide detective.
The couple was last seen driving toward Dubai’s mountain resort of Hatta to meet potential investors. Not long after, kidnappers demanded a substantial ransom — which was never paid.
Authorities now suspect that Roman and Anna were killed in their Hatta villa shortly after that meeting. Three suspects have been arrested in Russia — in St. Petersburg, Stavropol, and Krasnodar — after returning from the UAE.
Reports indicate that the so-called “investors” the couple went to meet were actually the men who abducted them, demanding access to Roman’s crypto wallet. He provided the password, but it turned out to be empty.
The suspects, all Russian citizens, were identified as 53-year-old ex-detective and known drug smuggler Konstantin Shakht, 46-year-old Yury Sharypov, and 45-year-old Vladimir Dalekin — both veterans of the war in Ukraine.
When the ransom wasn’t paid, the attackers allegedly murdered and dismembered the couple. The suspects remain in custody while five additional Russians under the age of 25 are also being investigated for involvement.
Roman and Anna, who had been living in Dubai, often flaunted their luxury lifestyle online, showing off private jets and supercars. They leave behind young children, now in the care of their grandparents.
Svetlana Petrenko of the Russian Investigative Committee confirmed that the attackers had accomplices who helped organize the kidnapping by renting vehicles and properties to detain the victims.
“After the murder, they disposed of the knives and the victims’ belongings, scattering them across different Emirates,” Petrenko said.
The couple’s driver told police he had dropped them off at a lakeside car park in Hatta, where they entered another vehicle — and vanished. Around that time, Roman reportedly sent frantic text messages to contacts, saying he was “stuck in the mountains near the Oman border” and needed $200,000.
Phone records showed the couple’s devices traveling from Hatta to Oman and later to Cape Town, South Africa, before signals disappeared in early October. Investigators now believe this was a deliberate attempt to mislead authorities by keeping the phones active after the murders.
UAE and Russian authorities worked closely together to piece together the crime. Emirati police reportedly discovered Anna’s blood in the villa, traces of blood in a rental car, several knives hidden near the scene, and a T-shirt belonging to one of the suspects.
Family members raised concerns after losing contact with the couple, who were already under scrutiny for allegedly embezzling more than £380 million from crypto investors — money Roman claimed was for “business expansion.”
According to reports, many of his investors were from China and the Middle East. Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda described Novak as “a skilled manipulator who persuaded people to hand over hundreds of millions.”
Authorities suspect he managed a crypto operation through a platform developed by Ukrainian programmers. Investigators in Moscow are now tracking possible money trails through local crypto exchanges.
Roman Novak had previously served time in prison for embezzlement.
This tragic case — mixing wealth, deception, and international intrigue — has left many stunned.