Roman Novak, a convicted Russian cryptocurrency fraudster, and his wife Anna were abducted and killed in the United Arab Emirates after a failed ransom attempt targeting his digital assets. The couple disappeared during an investor meeting near Hatta in early October, leading to a joint investigation by Russian and UAE authorities. Seven suspects have been arrested in connection with the brutal crime.
Roman Novak, 38, had a history of cryptocurrency fraud. In 2020, he was sentenced to six years in prison for large-scale embezzlement after defrauding investors of millions through various ventures in St. Petersburg. After his release, Novak relocated to Dubai, where he launched the Fintopio crypto app and allegedly raised hundreds of millions from new investors, including from China and Middle Eastern countries. He was under investigation for stealing over $380 million at the time of his disappearance.
In early October, Novak and his wife Anna drove to Hatta, near the UAE-Oman border, for what they believed was a promising investor meeting. Their driver dropped them at a car park by a lake, where they switched to another vehicle and vanished. Relatives raised the alarm days later when contact was lost. Novak had messaged contacts about being 'stuck in the mountains on the Oman border' and needing $200,000.
Investigators suspect the couple was lured to a rented villa under false pretenses. Kidnappers demanded access to Novak's crypto wallets and a hefty ransom, but the wallet was empty, and no payment was secured. The couple was then killed, dismembered, and their remains dumped in containers near a Hatta shopping center or in the desert. Evidence included traces of Anna's blood at the villa, in a rented car, and a cache of knives nearby.
To mislead authorities, the perpetrators activated the victims' phones, tracking signals to Oman and Cape Town before they vanished. Russian and UAE police collaborated, uncovering accomplices who rented cars and premises. Arrests followed: three main suspects—Konstantin Shakht, 53, a former homicide investigator turned drug trafficker; Yury Sharypov, 46; and Vladimir Dalekin, 45, both ex-Russian soldiers from the Ukraine war—were detained in Russia after returning from Dubai. Four others from St. Petersburg and one from Kazakhstan face charges of murder and financial crimes. Five additional young Russians under 25 are believed connected.
The Novaks' underage children, left orphaned, were collected by Anna's parents in Dubai. Novak had boasted of wealth on social media, including ties to figures like Telegram founder Pavel Durov, and recently acquired an elite AC Cobra car. The case underscores risks in crypto, including 'wrench attacks' on digital wealth holders.