Crypto millionaire murdered in Dubai after being lured into a fake investment meeting that ended in tragedy. Russian investor Roman Novak and his wife Anna were kidnapped and later found dismembered in a desert area after going missing for weeks. The case has shocked both Russia and the United Arab Emirates, revealing how greed and deceit can turn deadly in the world of cryptocurrency.
Roman Novak, aged 38, and his wife Anna were last seen when they drove to meet people they believed were investors at Hatta, a mountain resort area near Dubai. The couple had told their contacts they were heading to discuss a new business deal. Novak, well known in Dubai for his love of luxury cars and wealthy connections, had recently purchased a rare British AC Cobra sports car before their disappearance.
According to reports, the couple’s driver took them to a car park near a lake before they switched to another vehicle arranged by the supposed investors. Soon after, Novak sent a message to one of his contacts saying he was stuck in the mountains close to the Oman border and urgently needed 152,000 pounds. That was the last message received from him.
Investigators tracked the couple’s phones for two days around Hatta and later detected the signals in Oman and Cape Town before all contact was lost in early October. Police believe the killers deliberately turned the phones on and off to confuse investigators and delay the search.
Family members in Russia raised the alarm when the couple failed to return home. Their fears were confirmed when investigators discovered their remains buried in a desert area of the UAE.
Authorities in Russia arrested three men linked to the killings. The suspects were identified as Konstantin Shakht, a 53-year-old former homicide investigator, along with Yury Sharypov, 46, and Vladimir Dalekin, 45. Both Sharypov and Dalekin had previously fought in the war in Ukraine before returning home.
The men reportedly pretended to be investors to lure the Novaks into a meeting. Once they were abducted, they demanded the password to Novak’s cryptocurrency wallet. According to Russian outlet Fontanka, Novak cooperated but the wallet was empty. When the kidnappers realized there was no money, they killed the couple and dismembered their bodies.
Emirati police discovered traces of Anna Novak’s blood at a villa and in a rented car used by the suspects. Knives were also found near the crime scene along with a T-shirt believed to belong to one of the attackers. The three suspects were placed in custody until December 28 while investigations continue. Reports suggest that five more Russians under the age of 25 may be linked to the crime.
Roman Novak was well known in the crypto world of Dubai. He often bragged about his connections with influential figures including Telegram founder Pavel Durov. However, Russian media reported that Novak had been under investigation for allegedly stealing more than 38 million pounds from crypto investors by promising to fund large business projects.
Some of the victims were business people from China and the Middle East. The Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda described Novak as a talented manipulator who convinced others to trust him with large sums of money by acting as if he operated on the same level as major tech billionaires.
Novak was believed to have managed a private crypto exchange with software created by Ukrainian programmers. Before his death, Russian law enforcement had searched crypto exchanges in Moscow to trace his investments.
After the couple’s disappearance, Anna’s parents traveled to Dubai to take care of their grandchildren. The murder of Roman and Anna Novak has drawn worldwide attention and has become a warning about the darker side of crypto-related investments.
Authorities in Russia and the UAE are continuing to work together on the case, which serves as a reminder of how fast-growing digital wealth can attract dangerous individuals willing to kill for access to money.
