SYDNEY — Australian police have arrested two men for the murder of a Sydney grandfather who they say was mistakenly kidnapped from his modest home in suburban Sydney, and later murdered.Chris Baghsarian, a widower who lived alone, was ripped from his bed on the morning of February 13 by assailants who detectives believe were intending to target another man.Local media reported the attack may have been aimed at a family with links to organized crime.New South Wales (NSW) Police immediately alerted the kidnappers to their mistake in successive press conferences, urging them to abandon the grandfather at a safe location.Instead, a video emerged of the older man tied up at a location later found to be an abandoned and derelict property in Dural, on the outskirts of Sydney, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from his home.By the time police had identified and searched the location, Baghsarian was gone.As videos of an injured Baghsarian circled online, his family described their ordeal as a surreal nightmare.”We are struggling to make sense of the fact that he has been taken and that our family has been caught up in something that has nothing to do with us,” they said in a statement shortly after the kidnapping.On Wednesday, police confirmed Baghsarian’s body had been found the previous day near a golf course in a rural area west of Sydney. An autopsy is expected to reveal his cause of death.Police have said the discovery of two burnt out cars and a raid on an abandoned property in Dural led them to an area in Pitt Town where they on Monday found the remains.Police refused to provide any details on the condition the body was found in, but said an autopsy would be carried out to formally identify the person and determine their cause of death.Authorities have urged any witnesses who saw anything near the golf course on 14 February — the day after the kidnapping — to contact police.On Wednesday, two men, aged 24 and 29, were arrested for questioning, as forensic testing confirmed the body located near a golf course on the city outskirts belonged to Baghsarian.Police have said they expect to charge both men, who were previously known to authorities for minor matters.More arrests are likely, investigators added, as they believe others were involved in the alleged kidnapping and murder.Baghsarian’s family have welcomed news of the arrests, and requested the media respect their privacy.Cases of mistaken identity have become more common in Sydney’s underworld, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, as large organized crime networks increasingly subcontract crimes.Last year, a 23-year-old plumber was shot dead in his driveway in Condell Park in what police believe was also a case of mistaken identity. — AgenciesSYDNEY — Australian police have arrested two men for the murder of a Sydney grandfather who they say was mistakenly kidnapped from his modest home in suburban Sydney, and later murdered.Chris Baghsarian, a widower who lived alone, was ripped from his bed on the morning of February 13 by assailants who detectives believe were intending to target another man.Local media reported the attack may have been aimed at a family with links to organized crime.New South Wales (NSW) Police immediately alerted the kidnappers to their mistake in successive press conferences, urging them to abandon the grandfather at a safe location.Instead, a video emerged of the older man tied up at a location later found to be an abandoned and derelict property in Dural, on the outskirts of Sydney, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from his home.By the time police had identified and searched the location, Baghsarian was gone.As videos of an injured Baghsarian circled online, his family described their ordeal as a surreal nightmare.”We are struggling to make sense of the fact that he has been taken and that our family has been caught up in something that has nothing to do with us,” they said in a statement shortly after the kidnapping.On Wednesday, police confirmed Baghsarian’s body had been found the previous day near a golf course in a rural area west of Sydney. An autopsy is expected to reveal his cause of death.Police have said the discovery of two burnt out cars and a raid on an abandoned property in Dural led them to an area in Pitt Town where they on Monday found the remains.Police refused to provide any details on the condition the body was found in, but said an autopsy would be carried out to formally identify the person and determine their cause of death.Authorities have urged any witnesses who saw anything near the golf course on 14 February — the day after the kidnapping — to contact police.On Wednesday, two men, aged 24 and 29, were arrested for questioning, as forensic testing confirmed the body located near a golf course on the city outskirts belonged to Baghsarian.Police have said they expect to charge both men, who were previously known to authorities for minor matters.More arrests are likely, investigators added, as they believe others were involved in the alleged kidnapping and murder.Baghsarian’s family have welcomed news of the arrests, and requested the media respect their privacy.Cases of mistaken identity have become more common in Sydney’s underworld, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, as large organized crime networks increasingly subcontract crimes.Last year, a 23-year-old plumber was shot dead in his driveway in Condell Park in what police believe was also a case of mistaken identity. — Agencies
Australia police make arrests over murder of octogenarian mistakenly kidnapped
