Chris Baghsarian dies after being abducted from North Ryde home
Updated ,first published
Human remains believed to be those of elderly widower Chris Baghsarian, who was abducted from his Sydney home and held hostage for almost two weeks on suspicion of confusion, have been found.
Police said on Tuesday morning robbery and serious crime squad detectives found a body believed to be the body of the 85-year-old near a golf club in Pitt Town, in Sydney’s north-western tip.
Baghsarian was taken hostage when three men kidnapped him from his home in North Ryde around 5 a.m. on suspicion of identity confusion on February 13. Baghsarian, a grandfather and widower, lived alone, and police repeatedly said he and his family had no ties to organized crime.
Police have not yet officially confirmed whether the remains belong to Baghsarian. Forensic examiners scoured the area where the remains were found Tuesday morning for evidence. Tire tracks near the ruins were being measured and marked.
Police launched a massive search of dense bushland in nearby Glenorie on Sunday afternoon after receiving reports that a burned Toyota Corolla, forensically linked to Baghsarian, had been seen in the area on February 14.
The car was found burning on Good Street in Westmead just before midnight on February 17, four days after Baghsarian was abducted. Evidence found inside the car linked both Baghsarian and an abandoned Dural property where detectives believed the 85-year-old was being held hostage and tortured. The car, traveling in Sydney with cloned Victoria number plates (DVT077), was reported stolen from Victoria on 13 February.
Various items found in the Corolla, including what was believed to be carpet from Dural’s home, were forensically tested and matched with other evidence found on the property.
Police said evidence found during a search of the Dural property on Thursday night matched video and images of the critically injured Baghsarian, in the same flannel shirt and tracksuit trousers he wore when he was abducted, circulating in Sydney’s underworld.
Strike Force Chobat detectives searching for Baghsarian believe his kidnappers were targeting the relative of Sydney businessman Dimitri Stepanyan, 37, an armed robber and founder of Proper Street, a clothing brand linked to the Alameddine crime family.
Stepanyan’s website, which was under maintenance on Tuesday morning, describes him as a “Sydney-based entrepreneur and creative force behind Proper Street”.
Proper Streetweet has long been worn by alleged members of the Alameddine network. The phrase “never pass on family”, an alleged reference to the Alameddine family, appears on many of the Proper Street clothing items and on some members’ personal jewelry.
reporter He tried to contact Stepanyan for comment. He is not accused of any involvement in Baghsarian’s kidnapping.
CCTV footage from Baghsarian’s street shows two men, one in a high-vis shirt and the other in a dark hoodie, getting out of a dark-coloured SUV and striding towards the 85-year-old man’s home, triggering a sensor light at the front of the property.
They then appear to force Baghsarian to leave the house as the getaway driver approaches the rest of the crew. Police believe three people went to Baghsarian’s home but suspect more people may have been involved in the kidnapping.
Messages allegedly published by SCN Worldstar between the kidnappers and Stepanyan show Baghsarian’s kidnappers demanding a ransom of $50 million.
Police said last week that no ransom demand had been made from Baghsarian’s family, who said the 85-year-old was well-loved and a devoted father, brother, uncle and grandfather.
“He is the kindest person we have ever known; someone who would never hurt a fly,” the family said in a statement released by NSW Police last Tuesday.
“Chris being kidnapped feels surreal and we are 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.”
Strike Force Chobat detectives will now shift their focus to identifying Baghsarian’s kidnappers. No arrests were made.
