Dismembered bodies of Russian cryptocurrency trader and his wife found in UAE desert

The bodies of Russian cryptocurrency trader Román Novak and his wife, brutally murdered in October, were found in the desert of the United Arab Emirates, according to sources in law enforcement agencies who informed RT this Monday. “According to investigators, on October 2, 2025, the couple planned to meet with unidentified investors in the city of Hatta. To do this, a private chauffeur drove them to a parking lot near a lake. There, they got into another car and headed to the meeting. Subsequently, contact with the young couple was lost,” reported the Investigative Committee. According to reports, Novak, 38, and his wife, 37, were kidnapped for extortion. However, upon gaining access to the cryptocurrency wallet, no funds were found, so the alleged perpetrators did not achieve their goal and murdered their victims.

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After the crime, the bodies were dismembered and buried in the desert, while the knives used and personal belongings of the victims were scattered along the road. In early November, the alleged murderers who carried out the dismemberments were arrested in Russia and placed in pre-trial detention. Román Novak considered himself a friend of the Russian businessman and billionaire Pável Dúrov. The couple left two minor children, who were taken in by their grandfather.