Two men arrested by NSW Pollice over North Ryde kidnapping, discovery of body in Pitt Town
Updated ,first published
Two men have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping and murder of elderly widower Chris Baghsarian, who was abducted from his Sydney home due to suspected mistaken identity.
Robbery and serious crime squad detectives from Strike Force Chobat arrested the men, aged 29 and 24, at properties in Kenthurst and Castle Hill on Wednesday morning. Searches are ongoing at several properties in Sydney’s north-west.
The men have not yet been charged. They were taken to Riverstone police station and are being questioned by detectives.
Detectives found human remains believed to be Baghsarian’s near a golf course in Pitt Town, in Sydney’s north-western tip, on Tuesday morning.
Baghsarian was taken hostage on February 13 when three men kidnapped him from his home in North Ryde at around 5am due to suspected mistaken identity. Baghsarian, a grandfather and widower born in Jerusalem, lived alone and police repeatedly said he and his family had no links to organized crime.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said investigators were “working around the clock” to identify and find Baghsarian’s kidnappers.
“Their priority, of course, was for Mr. Baghsarian to return safely to his family, but tragically that is not the case,” Lanyon told 2GB on Wednesday.
“This is a terrible crime. I was very confident we would take action.”
On Sunday afternoon, police launched a massive search of dense bushland in Glenorie after receiving reports that a Toyota Corolla, forensically linked to Baghsarian, was seen in the area around 9pm on February 14.
Investigators later identified the Pitt Town crime scene, a 15-minute drive away, as the possible location of Baghsarian’s body after the Corolla was spotted in the area. Police believe Baghsarian’s body was dumped near the golf course that night.
Detectives last week searched a Dural property that Baghsarian’s kidnappers used as a “temporary stronghold” to detain and torture the 85-year-old in the hours after his abduction. Evidence found at this property matched video and photographs of the critically injured Baghsarian circulating in Sydney’s criminal underworld.
Evidence found in the remains and in the Corolla set on fire in Westmead Street on February 16 matched items found in Dural’s home.
Detectives believe the kidnappers were looking for the father of 37-year-old Sydney businessman Dimitri Stepanyan, an armed robber and founder of Proper Street, a well-known clothing brand with ties to the Alameddine crime family, when they captured Baghsarian by mistake.
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.
The Stepanyan family has been living on the same street with Bagsaryan for several years.
This imprint attempted to contact Stepanyan for comment. He is not accused of any involvement in Baghsarian’s kidnapping.
More to come.
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