Two arrested over alleged kidnap and murder of grandad
Farid Farid and Alex Mitchell |
Two men have been arrested over the alleged mistaken kidnapping of an elderly man after remains believed to be the grandfather’s were found in bushland.
Detectives arrested a 29-year-old man in Kenthurst and a 24-year-old man in Castle Hill, both suburbs in northwest Sydney, on Wednesday morning.
They have been taken to a police station for questioning.
The arrests come about 11 days after three men stormed Chris Baghsarian’s nothwest Sydney home and bundled him into a car in the middle of the night and a day after police believe they found the 85-year-old’s body.
Police believe the intended target for the abduction was a relative of underworld-linked Sydney businessman Dimitri Stepanyan, who lived on the same street as the elderly man.
The recklessness the kidnappers showed in both taking the wrong man and targeting a family member angered authorities, who vowed to work around the clock to find those responsible.
“I speak for not only the police but the public in general, that we’re outraged at this happening and the recklessness of these people,” Detective Acting Superintendent Andrew Marks said.
“We will endeavour and use every resource we have to ID those responsible and bring them before the courts.”
Police repeatedly told the kidnappers they had the wrong person and publicly urged them to release the elderly man, who relied on daily medication.
Detectives found the remains near a golf club in Pitt Town, a semi-rural area on Sydney’s northern outskirts, after members of the public reported seeing a vehicle linked to the investigation in the area a day after Mr Baghsarian disappeared.
Detectives are yet to formally identify the body but suspect it is the octogenarian because of the forensic links to the Dural site, which police previously searched.
Asked last week about organised criminal groups targeting relatives of their rivals, Detective Acting Superintendent Brad Abdy labelled the practice “ridiculously disgusting”.
He was speaking to media about an investigation into the shooting of former Canterbury and Wests Tigers winger Matt Utai outside his home in Greenacre, in southwest Sydney, as he was about to drive to work.
The 2004 NRL premiership star was caught in the crossfire of his son Iziah Utai’s alleged criminal associations and escalating gang conflict, detectives believe.
“Criminals throughout history have been known to retaliate against other rival gangs (but) this escalation into what appears to be targeting innocent members of particular families, it’s ridiculously disgusting offences they’re committing,” Act Supt Abdy said.
“These are ordinarily innocent people now being targeted by violent criminal syndicates, and they have no association with the criminality of the people in their particular families.”
A man and a teenager have since been charged with shooting with intent to murder Utai.
AAP