Three people have been arrested after a cryptocurrency couple were horrifically found dead in a desert – investigators have revealed what the pair’s final tragic moments could have been like
Chilling details into the final hours of a cryptocurrency couple, before they were brutally found dead, have been revealed.
The bodies of Roman Novak, 38, and his 37-year-old wife Anna were horrifically found wrapped in plastic and buried in a remote desert area, in the United Arab Emirates. The couple, who had moved to Dubai from Russia after Roman served three years in jail in Russia for crypto fraud, vanished in October. Three people have been arrested on suspicion of murder after the young couple’s bodies were found.
Harrowing details have emerged that suggest the pair watched each other be tortured before they were ultimately killed. Roman, from Saint Petersburg, was the founder of cryptocurrency transfer platform Fintopio. The company raised around £370million after it’s launch in 2023 but abruptly closed for an “operational review” in October, leaving users with no access to their funds.
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Russian police said their remains were found covered in polyethylene bags and buried in concrete, but their bodies were mainly still intact.
It is believed the young couple were lured into a rented villa, in Hatta, under the pretence of meeting potential investors. They were driven halfway by their personal driver, before they were picked up in another car to finish the journey.
It is thought the Russian couple were tortured at the home for access to their crypto wallets. The couple’s friends said a few hours later, they received messages saying they were “stuck in the mountains on the Oman border” and urgently needed £152,000, before they lost contact.
Signals continued to be received from the couple’s mobile phones for several days after they went missing, first within the UAE and later near Cape Town, South Africa, with the last ‘ping’ on October 4. Investigators said they think the phones were turned on in different locations as a ‘smokescreen’ to confuse police.
Three people were arrested in Saint Petersburg in connection with the double murder. One of these suspects includes former police officer Konstantin Shakht, 53, who investigators believe arranged the hit. The two other suspects have reportedly admitted to the killing, while Shakht denies all charges.
Roman and Anna had two young children, who were not with their parents when they died. Anna’s dad and stepmum flew to Dubai to reunite with the two young kids. The couples’ remains are due to be taken back to Russia.
Before he went missing, Roman presented himself as a successful crypto investor and claimed to be the founder of a payment platform said to facilitate fast cryptocurrency transfers. He had convinced investors from China, the Middle East and other countries to fund his project through.
The Russian fraudster did this by promising partnerships with major tech firms and claimed personal connections with important industry figures.
