A notorious Russian cryptocurrency businessman and his spouse, known for their involvement in various fraudulent schemes, have been murdered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The couple were lured to a meeting with “investors” and then kidnapped for ransom, with the perpetrators aiming to take over the man’s cryptocurrency wallet, believing it held billions of dollars in digital assets.
Russian cryptocurrency scammer killed in Middle East
Convicted cryptocurrency fraudster Roman Novak and his wife Anna are the victims of a gruesome murder in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Russian media have announced.
According to multiple reports before the weekend, the two men were kidnapped and then killed by the attackers after they were unable to obtain the ransom they wanted.
Russian online news outlet Fontanka reported on Friday that the couple was scheduled to meet investors in Hatta, an inland enclave in the emirate of Dubai, on October 2.
The driver took them to a parking lot next to the lake, where they boarded another car and drove to the scheduled meeting location.
According to 78.ru and the daily Izvestia, their phones were connected to Hatta’s network for two more days, but they stopped responding.
Since October 4, these devices were also registered with mobile operators in Oman and later in Cape Town, South Africa, but were eventually taken offline.
Anna’s father flew to Dubai to gain custody of Novak’s minor children, but declined to give details of what exactly happened, citing the ongoing investigation.
The Novak family was reportedly murdered by other Russians.
According to the online version of the St. Petersburg-based local television channel 78, the kidnappers were targeting Roman Novak’s digital wallet.
They used knives to torture him and his wife, and when they could not get close, the perpetrators murdered the couple, dismembered their bodies and buried them in the desert.
The killers had accomplices who organized the kidnapping, rented the car, and assisted at the villa in Hatta where the victims were taken.
Citing Svetlana Petrenko of the Investigative Committee, Russia’s federal investigative authority, the website further clarified that after the crime, an attempt was made to destroy all evidence. She said:
“After the murder, the suspects disposed of the victim’s knife and belongings and left them in another emirate’s territory.”
The official said work continues to unravel the circumstances and identify all those involved in the ugly murders in the Middle East.
So far, three suspects have been arrested in Russia’s second-largest city: Konstantin Shakut, Yuri Sharipov and Vladimir Dalekin, all Russian citizens. Schacht is a former police officer.
Some media reports say that a total of seven people were arrested, including four who acted as money mules in a scheme involving financial transactions.
The main motive behind the attack on the family, namely cryptocurrency extortion, was confirmed by Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) spokesperson Irina Volk, who told TASS:
“According to available information, in October of this year in a foreign territory, the suspects kidnapped a man and his wife with the purpose of extorting virtual currency.”
Roman Novak has been repeatedly accused of fraud in the past, and leading Russian crypto news outlet Bits.media mentioned it in its report on his tragic death.
In 2020, a St. Petersburg district court sentenced him to six years in prison for fraud. The case involved cryptocurrency exchange software called Transcrypt. He was convicted of embezzling $4 million.
The crypto traders then allegedly misappropriated about $500 million raised from investors in the Middle East, China and elsewhere to fund other crypto business projects, according to sources close to Russian law enforcement.
Discover more from Earlybirds Invest
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
