Two arrested over kidnapping, murder of Sydney grandfather taken by mistake
· Toronto Sun
An innocent man is dead and two suspects are in custody over the alleged kidnapping and slaying of an elderly widower in a suspected case of mistaken identity.
Chris Baghsarian, 85, was abducted from his home in Sydney’s North Ryde suburb on Feb. 13, before he was reportedly tortured and held hostage, despite police saying he and his family have no links to organized crime.
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Police confirmed that human remains found near a golf club in northwest Sydney are those of Baghsarian.
A 24-year-old man and a 29-year-old man were arrested by robbery and crime squad detectives arrested in separate early-morning raids Wednesday, the New South Wales Police Force said in a news release .
The force also shared footage of the arrests on their Facebook page .
‘Horrible, horrible matter’
Robbery and serious crime squad commander Andrew Marks told reporters he expected the men would be “charged in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Mr. Baghsarian.”
Marks described the case as a “horrible, horrible matter.”
He added: “It’s somebody’s worst nightmare, right? The fact that an innocent man was taken from his home is not acceptable. These people need to be held to account for that.”
Marks previously said he was a “million per cent confident” the kidnappers nabbed the wrong person.
Seedy underworld nightmare
Police have not said who was the intended target of the alleged attack, but the Sydney Morning Herald had reported that detectives suspected Baghsarian’s kidnappers were targeting a relative of businessman Dimitri Stepanyan, 37, a convicted armed robber and founder of Proper Streetwear — a clothing brand linked to the Alameddine crime family.
Videos and photos obtained by the outlet showed Baghsarian with serious injuries, including a severed finger.
Screenshots shared on a social media channel covering Sydney’s underworld appeared to show the kidnappers demanding a AU$50 million ($48.6 million) ransom in return for his release.
“Dumb dumb error,” the target tells them in the messages seen by AFP.
“You plugged the wrong bloke … Good luck next time.”
Family’s reaction
The victim’s family said in a statement shared by police that they “welcome the news of the recent arrests in relation to the kidnapping of our father and grandfather.”
They asked for privacy as they “continue attempting to come to terms with this incident.”