Kidnappers forced a crypto kingpin and his wife to watch each other being 'tortured to death', shocking reports claim.
Russian investigators have now revealed further details about what happened before the dismembered bodies of Roman Novak, 38, and his wife Anna, 37, were discovered in a Dubai desert.
The couple were reportedly lured to a meeting with people posing as 'investors' in the Hatta mountain resort in October before being killed.
It has now been reported that Roman and Anna were each 'forced' to watch each other suffer by their captors, who were allegedly attempting to 'extort' them for their cryptocurrency fortune.
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Before their lives were brutally ended, Russian investigators claim that the killers tortured the pair into handing over the access codes to their cryptocurrency wallets.
However, the wallets were reportedly empty - allegedly prompting the fake investors to murder Roman and Anna.
Their bodies were then stuffed into thick polyethylene bag before being doused with strong chemicals, local media claims.
This is said to have been done to speed up the decomposition process and destroy any DNA evidence.
The crypto millionaire and his wife, a former TV reporter, were then buried in the desert near the border with Oman. Their remains were then found weeks later after their loved ones reported them missing.
Reports claim that the couple were likely targeted by a gang who were aware of the success of a crypto app founded by Roman, named Fintopio.
He is alleged to have raised a whopping £380 million in investment for the app which facilitates quick crypto transfers. However, he was then accused of defrauding those who financially backed his venture.
It is believed that the kidnappers were attempting to get their hands on this staggering sum, according to the Daily Mail.
Svetlana Petrenko, a spokesperson for the Russian Investigative Committee, previously shared an update on the probe into the horrific murders.
"The investigation has established that the killers had accomplices who helped organise the abduction," she said.
"They rented cars and premises where the two victims were held by force.
"After the murder, the perpetrators disposed of the knives and the victims' personal belongings, leaving them in different emirates."
Cops found the couple's dismembered remains after scouring through a 500-by-500-metre stretch of sand in October.
In early November, it was revealed that three suspects had been arrested in connection with the killings after returning to Russia from Dubai.
Konstantin Shakht, 53, Yury Sharypov, 46, and Vladimir Dalekin, 45, were detained.
Reports claim that Sharypov and Dalekin have both pleaded guilty, although Shakht denies the charges. They have been remanded in custody until 28 December.
Roman and Anna's young children who have been orphaned are currently in the care of their grandparents, reports say.
Topics: Russia, Dubai, World News, Cryptocurrency, Crime
Olivia Burke