Investigation Launched into Murder of St. Petersburg Couple Linked to Crypto Fraud in UAE

Russian authorities have initiated a criminal investigation regarding the presumed murder of a couple from St. Petersburg who disappeared in the United Arab Emirates in early October. According to reports on Friday, it is believed that they were kidnapped and killed after being held for ransom.

Family members of Roman Novak and his wife Anna, who resided in Dubai, alerted the authorities to their absence after they failed to check in for several days. This information was released by Russia’s Investigative Committee, which looks into significant criminal cases.

The couple’s chauffeur last saw them on October 2, when he dropped them off near a lake in the Hatta region, close to the Oman border, for what was described as a meeting with potential investors. They subsequently switched to another vehicle and have not been heard from since.

The St. Petersburg news outlet Fontanka, citing unnamed sources, reported that eight Russian nationals are currently suspected of being involved in the incident, including three alleged masterminds and five others acting as intermediaries.

Reports suggest that seven of the suspects have been apprehended in Russia, and investigators are collaborating with officials in the UAE to clarify the details surrounding the crime.

Fontanka referred to sources claiming that the victims were enticed to a rented villa under the guise of an investment meeting, where they were allegedly assaulted and killed after failing to provide access to cryptocurrency assets. Their dismembered bodies were reportedly discovered on October 3, near Fujairah.

Law enforcement in both Russia and the UAE appears to have traced the suspects’ locations through surveillance footage and mobile phone signals, which were briefly detected in Oman before reappearing in South Africa and then vanishing on October 4.

According to Fontanka, four out of the five intermediaries are likely to be released this week after it was determined that they were merely used to set up what they thought was an investment discussion.

Roman Novak became well-known in Russia’s cryptocurrency community for portraying himself as a prosperous entrepreneur with connections to Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov.

He established the platform Fintopio, which promised rapid cryptocurrency transfers and partnerships with major tech companies, attracting investors from Russia, China, and the Middle East.

In November 2020, Novak was convicted of fraud and sentenced to six years in a St. Petersburg prison for deceiving partners in investment and cryptocurrency ventures.

He was released in 2023, after which he relocated abroad, continuing to seek investment for new projects.

The couple leaves behind two young children who have been entrusted to the care of relatives.