RUSSIAN crypto millionaire Roman Novak and his wife Anna were allegedly encased in concrete and dumped in the desert after being kidnapped in Dubai.
Investigators say the couple vanished in October, only for their remains to be found in November, “poured into concrete,” a source told Komsomolskaya Pravda.
The victims were reportedly lured to a rented villa under the pretext of discussing new investments before being abducted.
Shocking reports claim they were stabbed and forced to sit opposite each other to watch one another die.
It is understood the killers, all Russian nationals, reportedly demanded access to Novak’s crypto fortune, estimated at a staggering £380million.
When the accounts turned out to be empty, the torturers allegedly stuffed the couple into thick plastic bags.
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Investigators say industrial solvents were poured over the bodies to accelerate decomposition and destroy DNA, but authorities recovered them intact.
The couple’s mobile phones were tracked to Hatta, Oman and later Cape Town, South Africa, before signals abruptly stopped on October 4.
Anna’s father and stepmother flew to Dubai to collect the couple’s two young children after their disappearance.
Novak had previously been convicted of fraud in 2020 and served six years in a general regime colony.
After his release, he presented himself as a successful crypto investor and founder of Fintopio, a platform claiming to facilitate fast cryptocurrency transfers.
He allegedly conned investors from China, the Middle East, and other countries, raising around $500million (£380million) with promises of major tech partnerships.
Earlier scams reportedly saw Novak cheat partners out of RUB 7.3 million (£71,600) through falsified payments and abuse of trust.
Russian investigator Svetlana Petrenko said: “The investigation established that the killers had accomplices who helped organise the abduction.”
“They rented cars and premises where the two victims were held by force,” she added.
The investigation revealed the perpetrators disposed of knives and the victims’ personal belongings across different Emirates.
Three Russian suspects were detained by heavily armed police upon returning to St Petersburg.
Former police officer Konstantin Shakht, 53, is believed to have masterminded the horrific plot.
Yury Sharypov and Vladimir Dalekin have both pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and killings, while Shakht maintains his innocence.
Investigators expect further arrests in connection with the murders.
Novak reportedly bragged about his connections to society’s elite, including Telegram billionaire Pavel Durov.
Russian media previously suggested the couple may have been dismembered, though only the detail of their burial in the desert has been confirmed.
The couple had reportedly been forced to try to unlock Novak’s crypto wallets under torture, but the killers discovered the accounts were empty.
Cops traced the couple’s phones for several days as the kidnappers tried to throw authorities off the trail.
The murders follow the death of another Russian crypto millionaire, Alexei Dolgikh, 36, who crashed his £329,000 Lamborghini Urus at 93mph in Moscow.
Dolgikh’s car flipped upside down, exploded in a fireball, and sent parts flying over a bridge with wads of cash strewn across the highway.
The brazen crash killed Dolgikh and passenger Ivan Solovyov instantly, while authorities revealed Dolgikh had been blacklisted by banks for suspected money laundering.