Overview
- Roman and Anna Novak were found in November in a remote UAE desert site, wrapped in plastic and encased in concrete, with chemical solvents reportedly used to erase DNA.
- Three suspects have been arrested in Saint Petersburg, including former police officer Konstantin Shakht, who denies involvement, while two detainees have admitted guilt, according to Russian media and investigators.
- Investigators say the couple were lured to a rented villa in Hatta on the pretense of an investment meeting, then tortured for access to cryptocurrency holdings before being killed.
- Phones linked to the victims continued to ping for days in multiple locations, including near the Oman border and later close to Cape Town, which detectives believe was a deliberate smokescreen; the final signal was logged on October 4.
- Novak founded the crypto platform Fintopio, which reportedly raised about $500 million before halting operations in October, and family members traveled to Dubai to retrieve the couple’s two children as authorities prepare to return the bodies to Russia.