The luxury life of a convicted cryptocurrency fraudster and his television presenter wife ended in unimaginable horror in the Dubai desert, with new details revealing they were forced to watch each other die.
A Fateful Journey to the Mountains
On October 2, Roman Novak, 38, and Anna Novak, 37, entered a car headed for Hatta, a luxurious mountainous enclave in Dubai. They believed they were travelling to meet potential investors. They never returned.
After relatives raised concerns, a major search operation was launched. It culminated in the grim discovery of their bodies on a vast 500-square-metre stretch of sand. The couple had been wrapped in polyethylene bags, buried in concrete, and chemical solvents were used in an attempt to destroy DNA evidence.
The Trap and the Torture for Crypto Access
Russian media reports indicate the couple were lured to a rented villa under false pretences. Upon arrival, they were allegedly captured and tortured side-by-side by kidnappers desperate to gain access to their cryptocurrency wallets.
The ordeal took a further sinister turn when the assailants, having finally obtained the passwords, found the wallets were empty. The Fontanka news outlet stated: "Novak didn't resist - but there was no cryptocurrency left. The wallet was empty."
In a desperate final act, friends of the couple then began receiving urgent text messages, purportedly from Roman and Anna, claiming they were stranded near the Oman border and needed £152,000 immediately. Contact then went dead.
A Lavish Life Built on Fraud
This brutal end stands in stark contrast to the opulent lifestyle the couple publicly enjoyed. Roman, originally from Saint Petersburg, was the founder of the crypto transfer platform Fintopio. Launched in 2023, it attracted around $500 million (£378 million) in investment before abruptly closing for an "operational review" in October, locking users out of their funds.
Roman had a prior conviction for large-scale financial fraud, receiving a six-year sentence in a Russian penal colony in 2020. After his parole, he, Anna, and their two young children relocated to Dubai to start anew. At the time of his death, he was under investigation for allegedly stealing over £38 million from investors.
Their Instagram accounts painted a picture of a fairy-tale life, filled with holidays to Italy and Disneyland, and a taste for yachts and private jets. Roman frequently posted loving tributes to Anna, calling her his "Lady Star" and celebrating their 17 years together in May with a post from Rome's Trevi Fountain.
Anna's father and stepmother have now travelled to Dubai to collect the couple's children. The bodies are to be repatriated to Russia for forensic examination and burial.
Investigation and Arrests
In connection with the double murder, three people have been arrested in Saint Petersburg. Among them is 53-year-old former police officer Konstantin Shakht, whom investigators believe may have orchestrated the attack. Two suspects have confessed to the killings, while Shakht denies all charges.
