Body of kidnapped grandfather Chris Baghsarian is found – after he was tortured in a case of mistaken identity
The body of kidnapped grandfather Chris Baghsarian has been found near a golf course in Sydney’s northwest.
Police swarmed close to Lynwood Golf and Country Club in Pitt Town following the gruesome discovery at around 8am on Tuesday.
The 85-year-old widower had been missing for 11 days after he was abducted from his North Ryde home on February 13, and police say he was not the target.
A club employee told the Daily Mail that Mr Baghsarian’s body was found not on the golf course but on neighboring land.
He confirmed that his remains were not discovered by a staff member.
Before he was found dead, a video taken by the kidnappers revealed that the innocent grandfather’s face was covered and his hands were tied with duct tape.
Additionally, images of the man’s finger being cut off were also circulating.
It is understood Mr Baghsarian was then taken to a property in Dural, about 20km from North Ryde, and beaten before being forced to make a video aimed at a gang figure.
Chris Baghsarian’s body was found near a golf club in Pitt Town
Mr Baghsarian was abducted from his home in North Ryde on February 13.
Mr Baghsarian’s family, for whom no ransom has been demanded, last week described the 85-year-old as a much-loved and devoted father, brother, uncle and grandfather.
In a statement released by NSW Police last Tuesday, the family said: ‘He is the kindest person we have ever known; “Someone who wouldn’t hurt even a fly,” he said.
‘Chris being kidnapped feels surreal and we’re trying to make sense of the fact that he was kidnapped and our family was involved in something that had nothing to do with us.
‘We are living a nightmare we never thought possible.’
The discovery of Mr Baghsarian’s body came a day after it was revealed that the targets in the botched kidnapping were relatives of one-time criminal Dmitry Stepanyan, who has since become a successful Sydney businessman.
Mr Stepanyan, who lived on the same street as Mr Baghsarian, is understood to have contacted his kidnappers within hours of the kidnapping, demanding a ransom of $50 million.
Messages between the businessman and his captors over Threema, an encrypted messaging app, showed pictures and images of Mr. Baghsarian, to which Stepanyan said the criminals “had the wrong guy on board.”
More to come.
