Russian Crypto Couple Murdered Near Dubai, Suspects Held

The dismembered bodies of Russian cryptocurrency investor Roman Novak and his wife Anna were discovered buried in a desert area near Dubai, United Arab Emirates, about a month after the couple vanished during a meeting with supposed investors. The pair, both in their 30s and residents of Dubai, disappeared on October 2 while heading to the Hatta mountain resort near the Oman border, prompting a joint investigation by Russian and Emirati authorities that has led to the detention of several Russian suspects.

Novak, 38, and his wife were last seen when their personal driver dropped them off at a lakeside car park in Hatta, where they transferred to another vehicle for what they believed was a business discussion. Contact was lost shortly after, with Novak sending messages to associates indicating he was stranded in the mountains and urgently needed around $150,000. Their mobile phones were later tracked moving through Hatta, into Oman, and as far as Cape Town, South Africa, before signals ceased on October 4. Investigators now believe the devices were activated deliberately to mislead the probe.

According to Svetlana Petrenko, a spokesperson for Russia's Investigative Committee,...