Roman Novak, a Russian national who scammed investors out of $500 million via a fraudulent crypto app, and his wife Anna were murdered and dismembered in Dubai after kidnappers found his cryptocurrency wallet empty. The couple was lured to a resort under false pretenses and held for ransom. Eight suspects, including former investors, have been arrested in connection with the killings.
Roman Novak and his wife Anna, both Russian nationals, were last seen alive on October 2, 2025, after being lured to a mountain resort outside Dubai by individuals posing as potential investors. The couple had been living a lavish lifestyle in the United Arab Emirates, frequently posting online photos of themselves with fast cars, private jets, a Rolls-Royce, and a vintage British Cobra car valued at $1.9 million combined, as well as vacations including trips to Disneyland.
Authorities in the UAE, as reported by Russian outlets Komsomolskaya Pravda and Fontanka, indicate that the pair was taken to a villa in the town of Hatta, where kidnappers demanded the password to Novak's crypto wallet in an extortion attempt for their cryptocurrency holdings. Upon discovering the wallet empty, the criminals allegedly killed the couple, dismembered their bodies, and scattered the remains, with some parts left in trash cans at a shopping mall. It remains unclear what, if any, of the couple's remains have been recovered.
"According to preliminary information, Novak and his wife were kidnapped for ransom. When the criminals realized they wouldn’t get the money, they killed both of them," a source told Komsomolskaya Pravda.
The last signal from their phones was detected on October 4, 2025, in Cape Town, South Africa, before the connection was lost permanently. Law enforcement in St. Petersburg, Russia, is investigating the deaths. Eight people have been arrested, including alleged former investors defrauded by Novak and an ex-employee of Vladimir Putin's Interior Ministry. Three suspects are accused of carrying out the murder, while four are charged with plotting it by purchasing the knives used in the killings. The role of the eighth suspect has not been disclosed.
Novak had a history of cryptocurrency scams and previously served time in a Russian prison for stealing about $100,000 from investors.