CCTV released by NSW Police seeking public assistance
Updated ,first published
NSW Police have released CCTV footage of three more men appealing for public assistance in the kidnapping and murder of Sydney grandfather Chris Baghsarian last month.
The 85-year-old man was abducted from his home in North Ryde at around 5am on February 13; police said it was a case of mistaken identity after the kidnappers mistakenly targeted the wrong property.
The men were looking for the father of convicted armed robber Dmitry Stepanyan, who lived on the same street as Baghsarian. A ransom of $50 million was demanded from Stepanyan, who told the kidnappers that they had kidnapped the wrong man.
Stepanyan, 37, who has ties to the Alameddine crime family, is not accused of any involvement in Baghsarian’s death.
Baghsarian’s body was found dumped near a golf course in Sydney’s northwest on February 24. Police believe Baghsarian was killed within the first 36 hours of being held captive and tortured.
Two men, Gerard Andrews, 29, and Daniel Stevens, 24, were arrested by robbery and serious crime squad detectives from the Chabot Strike Force at their parents’ homes in Kenthurst and Castle Hill and charged with Baghsarian’s abduction and murder.
Investigators on Wednesday released CCTV images of three more men who they said could assist with investigations.
In the footage, the men are seen walking towards the alleged kidnapping castle on Wildthorn Boulevard in Dural on the night of the kidnapping. Police said they believe Baghsarian was held hostage and tortured at the abandoned and derelict property before eventually being killed.
A blue Hyundai sedan with a wheel cover missing on the left side appears to arrive at the same house just after noon the next day, February 14, and then leave.
“We believe these men may have been involved. It is important that we identify who they are and either bring them in or remove them from our investigations,” NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told ABC Radio on Wednesday morning.
Anyone with information about the identity of the men captured on CCTV or the driver of the blue car is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
“This was a heinous crime that affected the greater community,” Lanyon said.
Detectives believe the local ringleader of Baghsarian’s botched kidnapping fled abroad shortly after he was killed.
Baghsarian is remembered as a kind and cheerful man. “He is the kindest person we know, someone who wouldn’t hurt a fly,” his family said in a statement last month.
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