Crypto millionaire and wife lured to meeting with ‘investors’, then something horrifying happens

Russian investigators have shared disturbing new details about the deaths of crypto millionaire Roman Novak and his wife, Anna. The couple was reportedly forced to watch each other being tortured to death by their kidnappers. Their dismembered bodies were found in a Dubai desert in October.

According to LAD Bible, the 38-year-old crypto businessman and his 37-year-old wife, a former TV reporter, were targeted for their large cryptocurrency fortune. The couple was tricked into attending a meeting at the Hatta mountain resort with people pretending to be investors. Once there, they were kidnapped.

The captors tortured Roman and Anna to get access codes to their cryptocurrency wallets. Investigators believe the wallets turned out to be empty. When the kidnappers realized there was no money, they killed both victims.

The empty wallets may have sealed their tragic fate

Roman had created a crypto app called Fintopio, which helps with quick digital transfers. He had raised about £380 million in investment for the app. However, he was later accused of stealing money from his investors.

Local reports described Roman as a skilled manipulator who convinced businessmen from China and the Middle East to give him huge amounts of money. He had even served prison time for stealing money before. His case shares similarities with other high-profile fraud cases involving CEOs who deceived investors.

After killing the couple, the murderers tried hard to hide evidence. They cut up the bodies and put them in thick plastic bags. They poured strong chemicals on the remains to speed up decay and destroy DNA evidence. The bodies were buried in the desert near the Oman border. Police found them in October after searching a large area of sand.

Russian and UAE police worked together on the case. The killers kept the couple’s phones on for two days to mislead investigators. The phones showed movement from Hatta to Oman, then to Cape Town, South Africa, before the signals stopped in early October. Police found Anna’s blood at a villa, blood in a rental car, and knives near the crime scene.

Three Russian men were arrested in early November after they returned to Russia from Dubai. The suspects are Konstantin Shakht, 53, Yury Sharypov, 46, and Vladimir Dalekin, 45. Shakht used to be a murder investigator but later became involved in drug smuggling. Sharypov and Dalekin both fought for Russia in the Ukraine war.

Svetlana Petrenko from the Russian Investigative Committee confirmed the killers had help. She said accomplices helped organize the kidnapping, rented cars and places to hold the victims, and got rid of personal items and knives across different areas.

This tragedy serves as a warning about romance scams and financial deception that target wealthy individuals. Shakht denies the charges, but Sharypov and Dalekin have pleaded guilty. All three remain in custody until December 28. Roman and Anna left behind young children, who are now living with their grandparents.