A Russian businessman, Roman Novak, and his wife have been found dead in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following a suspected kidnapping linked to a cryptocurrency investment scandal. Novak was previously convicted of defrauding investors of millions through various cryptocurrency projects, serving a six-year prison sentence in 2020 before relocating to Dubai. He later launched Fintopio, a cryptocurrency application, reportedly securing hundreds of millions from new investors. In early October, Novak and his wife traveled to Hatta, near the UAE-Oman border, for an investor meeting. They switched vehicles and subsequently disappeared, prompting a missing persons investigation by authorities in Russia and the UAE. It is suspected that they were lured to a rented villa where the business meeting was ultimately used as a tool for kidnapping for ransom. The kidnappers sought control of Novak’s cryptocurrency funds, allegedly held in wallets and accounts linked to his application and previous fraudulent activities. When this attempt failed, tragedy led to their deaths.