Australian police find human remains in hunt for kidnapped granddad
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Mr Chris Baghsarian, 85, was lifted from his home by three intruders in Sydney’s North Ryde suburb on Feb 13.
PHOTO: NSW POLICE FORCE/FACEBOOK
SYDNEY - Australian police said on Feb 24 they had found human remains in their search for a octogenarian grandfather believed to have been kidnapped in a case of mistaken identity.
Mr Chris Baghsarian, 85, was lifted from his home by three intruders in Sydney’s North Ryde suburb on Feb 13 and has not been seen since.
Police have described it as a case of mistaken identity and stressed that neither Mr Baghsarian nor his family have any underworld connections.
And the now more than a week-long search on Feb 24 yielded the discovery of what are believed to be human remains near a golf club in the suburb of Pitt Town, police said.
“We suspect those remains to be Mr Baghsarian,” New South Wales Robbery and Serious Crime Squad Commander Andrew Marks told journalists.
Mr Baghsarian’s family is “deeply upset”, he added, condemning the “recklessness” of the kidnappers.
“We’re all outraged this would happen to an innocent man and... we’ll continue to investigate to identify those responsible and bring them before the courts,” he said.
The police had not yet been able to positively identify the remains, and a forensic examination will be needed, he stressed.
Videos and photos obtained by local media have reportedly showed Mr Baghsarian with serious injuries, including a severed finger.
The octogenarian was a widower and lived alone.
The police believe his kidnappers were instead targeting a relative of a convicted armed robber and founder of a streetwear brand linked to the west Sydney-based Alameddine crime network, the Sydney Morning Herald has reported. AFP
