Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have uncovered the bodies of Russian cryptocurrency scammer Roman Novak and his wife, Anna, their final traces sealed beneath plastic and sand. Russian outlet 47news reported on December 1 that the remains, hidden in polyethylene and doused with chemical solvents, were found in a remote desert expanse after several suspects were detained.
Testimony from the arrested individuals guided UAE investigators to a 500-meter stretch of wasteland where the couple lay undiscovered for weeks. Repatriation procedures are underway to return the bodies to Russia.
Novak, a Saint Petersburg native and founder of the crypto-transfer platform Fintopio, was reputed to have raised as much as $500 million before vanishing from public view. He had been serving a six-year fraud sentence handed down in 2020, with multiple enforcement actions still active at the time of his death.
Investigators believe the Novaks were enticed to a rented villa in Hatta under the guise of meeting potential investors, only to be tortured for access to their digital assets and killed. Though the remains were located in November, authorities confirmed the discovery only recently.
Three suspects have been detained in Saint Petersburg, including 53-year-old Konstantin Shakht, alleged to have orchestrated the crime. Two of the men reportedly confessed, while Shakht maintains his innocence. The case amplifies unease surrounding a string of suspicious deaths involving prominent Russians, among them former transport minister Roman Starovoit, prompting speculation of deeper financial undercurrents.
