An Israeli private investigator has been arrested in Dubai in connection with the killings of an alleged cryptocurrency scam figure and his wife, according to Hebrew-language media reports.
Michael Greenberg, also known as Mike Green and reportedly based in Thailand, was detained approximately three months ago in Dubai. He is not suspected of carrying out the murders himself but is alleged to have had some level of involvement in the case, according to a report by Channel 12, citing Intelligence Online.
Greenberg is believed to have had ties to eight other suspects who were previously arrested. Russian investigators reportedly uncovered information on the suspects’ mobile phones that led authorities to Greenberg. There has been no official comment from Israel’s Foreign Ministry.
The case centers on Russian national Roman Novak and his wife Anna Novak, who were living in the United Arab Emirates. In November, the New York Post and other media outlets reported that Novak had allegedly raised $500 million through a fraudulent cryptocurrency app before going into hiding.
According to reports, the couple were lured to a desert location in the UAE under the pretense of an extortion attempt. When the perpetrators allegedly discovered Novak’s cryptocurrency wallet was empty, the pair were killed and dismembered.
A December report by the Daily Mail, citing Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, claimed the couple were tortured before their remains were encased in concrete and abandoned in the desert, where they were later discovered by investigators.
Authorities have not released further details as investigations continue.
