Family break silence after two arrested in connection with alleged kidnapping, murder of Chris Baghsarian, 85, from North Ryde home

The family of Chris Baghsarian have broken their silence after two men were arrested in connection with the alleged kidnapping and murder of the grandfather, who was snatched from his home in North Sydney in a suspected case of mistaken identity. The 85-year-old,who lived alone,was snatched from his home in North Ryde about 5am on February 13. About 6.30am Wednesday, detectives searched two homes in Kenthurst and Castle Hill. There, they arrested two men – aged 29 and 24 – in connection with the man’s kidnapping and murder. They have been taken to Riverstone police station, where inquiries continue. No charges have been laid. In a statement issued via NSW Police, Mr Baghsarian’s family said: “We welcome the news of the recent arrests in relation to the kidnapping of our father and grandfather”. “As we continue attempting to come to terms with this incident, we ask that media respect our privacy,” they said. “Early inquiries established that Chris Baghsarian was not the intended target of the kidnapping and had been taken in a case of mistaken identity,” police said. His disappearance sparked a major search, with police locating his remains near Lynwood Golf Club in Pitt Town about 8am on Tuesday – about 46km from where he was kidnapped. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Detective Acting Superintendent Andrew Marks said the remains were yet to be formally identified, but they believe they are of the missing 85-year-old. “We suspect those remains to be Mr Baghsarian,” he said. “Although, the remains aren’t able to be positively identified, and there will be a formal process to try to identify those remains.” Superintendent Marks said he had spoken to Mr Baghsarian’s family about the discovery of the 85-year-old’s remains. “As you can understand, they are deeply upset,” he said. “They have requested that you respect their privacy in this time.” Following his kidnapping on February 13, detectives discovered a “makeshift stronghold” at an abandoned property in semirural Dural, where they believe Mr Baghsarian was held for some time. Superintendent Marks told reporters they believed he had been held there “at some stage” during the kidnapping. He said the property, which was located back from the street, was “derelict” an uninhabited. “Nobody lives there,” he said. “It was a suspicious house among other properties in that area that led us to that premises.” On Monday, police revealed a partially burnt-out car which was found on February 16, and had been forensically linked to Mr Baghsarian and the abandoned property in Dural. The grey Corolla had Victorian registration plates 12Z2BU and was allegedly stolen on February 13. Police say the car had cloned number plates DVT 007 before it was found partially burnt-out. The grim discovery comes after reports from The Daily Telegraph suggest the man believed to be the real target of the botched kidnapping in Sydney’s north was Dimitri Stepanyan – a self-described entrepreneur and one-time criminal. The outlet reported the intended target of the kidnapping was supposed to be a relative of Stepanyan, used to live in the same street as Mr Baghsarian and messaged the Sydney businessman hours after the kidnapping. The family of the intended target were sent a video showing the hostage’s face covered and hands tied with duct tape. However, the target’s family did not recognise Mr Baghsarian, and sent a response. “Dumb dumb error, how did use (sic) get the wrong house,” a text message sent to the kidnappers read. “My old man would have blown your head off,” another read. Another message to the kidnappers read: “Good luck, one of your team will give you up.” Superintendent Marks said Mr Baghsarian’s family did not receive a ransom or demand following the abduction and were “devastated” by the kidnapping. “This is not the world they live in, it’s taken them by shock,” he said. “They’re anxious, they’re devastated, and they want some answers. That is what we are here for today – to try and get them more answers.”