85-year-old widower kidnapped and murdered in apparent case of mistaken identity in Australia

Australian detectives arrested two men on Wednesday for the alleged kidnapping and murder of an elderly grandfather in an alleged mistaken identity case.

Chris Baghsarian, 85, was taken from his home in the Sydney suburb of North Ryde on February 13, but police say neither he nor his family had connections to the underworld.

After a lengthy search, police found Baghsarian’s remains on Tuesday near a golf club on Sydney’s northwestern outskirts.

Detectives from the robbery and crime squad arrested a 24-year-old man and a 29-year-old man in two dawn raids on Wednesday in the city’s northwest suburbs, police said in a statement.

Video released by police showed officers forcefully entering a property to arrest one of the two suspects.

NSW Robbery and Serious Crime Squad commander Andrew Marks said he expected the men to be “charged in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Mr Baghsarian”.

Marks, who has led the police investigation since Bagsarian’s disappearance, described it as a “horrible, horrible matter.”

“It’s someone’s worst nightmare, right? The fact that an innocent man was taken from his home is not acceptable,” he told reporters. “These people need to be held accountable for that.”

Videos and photographs obtained by local media reportedly show Baghsarian with serious injuries, including an amputated finger.

The victim was a widow and lived alone.

In a statement shared through police, his family said they “welcome the news of the recent arrests in connection with the kidnapping of our father and grandfather.”

“As we continue to try to come to terms with this incident, we ask that the media respect our privacy,” they added.

Marks previously said he was “a million percent sure” the kidnappers had the wrong person.

Police believe his kidnappers were targeting a relative of a convicted armed robber and founder of a streetwear brand linked to the Alameddine crime network, based in western Sydney, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Screenshots shared on a social media channel covering Sydney’s underworld allegedly showed the kidnappers demanding a ransom of 50 million Australian dollars ($35.5 million) in exchange for their release.

“Silly, stupid mistake,” the target tells them in the messages seen by News.

“You hooked up with the wrong guy… Good luck next time.”

Police Detective Marks said Wednesday he had seen the message and said “that was the figure that was requested.”

The tragedy unfolded half a world away from Tucson, Arizona, where authorities are searching Nancy Guthrie, 84 years old.the mother of “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie. The family has offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to the recovery of Nancy Guthrie, who disappeared from her home on February 1.

The kidnapping and Savannah Guthrie’s emotional video attracts to her mother’s kidnappers, have galvanized attention across the United States and made headlines around the world.