Two men arrested over death of kidnapped grandfather Chris Baghsarian – after he was tortured in case of mistaken identity
Two men have been arrested in relation to the alleged kidnapping and murder of 85-year-old Chris Baghsarian.
The men were arrested in the early hours of Wednesday morning after police descended on two properties in Sydney’s north west.
‘Following extensive inquiries, about 6.30am today (Wednesday 25 February 2026), strike force detectives – with assistance from Raptor Squad – executed two search warrants in Kenthurst and Castle Hill,’ NSW Police confirmed in a statement.
‘At the Kenthurst address, police arrested a 29-year-old man. In Castle Hill, police arrested a 24-year-old man.’
They have been taken to Riverstone Police Station, where inquiries continue.
The body of the 85-year-old widower was found near a golf course in Sydney’s north-west on Tuesday morning.
Police swarmed a location close to Lynwood Golf and Country Club in Pitt Town, near Windsor following the grim discovery at around 8am.
The body of 85-year-old Chris Baghsarian was found in the early hours of Tuesday morning
His body was found near the Lynwood Golf and Country Club in Pitt Town, near Windsor
Two men have been been taken to Riverstone Police Station in relation to the alleged murder
The widower had been missing for 11 days after his abduction from his North Ryde home on February 13, with police saying he was not the intended target.
A club employee told the Daily Mail the body of Mr Baghsarian was not found on the golf course, but on a neighbouring property.
She confirmed his remains were not uncovered by a staff member.
Before he was found dead, a video made by the kidnappers appeared to show the innocent grandfather’s face covered and his hands tied with duct tape.
There were also images circulating of his finger being cut off.
It’s understood Mr Baghsarian was then taken to a property in Dural, about 20km from North Ryde, and beaten before being forced to film a video directed at a gangland figure.
No ransom demands were made, with Mr Baghsarian’s family last week describing the 85-year-old as a deeply loved and devoted father, brother, uncle and grandfather.
‘The kindest person we know – someone who would never hurt a fly,’ the family said in a statement released by NSW Police last Tuesday.
‘Chris’s kidnapping feels surreal, and 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.
‘We are living through a nightmare we never thought possible.’
The discovery of Mr Baghsarian’s body comes one day after the intended targets of the botched kidnapping were revealed as relatives of Dimitri Stepanyan – a one-time criminal who has since become a successful Sydney businessman.
It’s understood Mr Stepanyan, who used to live on the same street as Mr Baghsarian, was contacted by the kidnappers hours after the abduction with a $50 million ransom demand.
Messages between the businessman and kidnappers over Threema, an encrypted messaging app, showed pictures and footage of Mr Baghsarian, to which Stepanyan said the criminals ‘plugged the wrong bloke’.
Police have remained tight-lipped on any motive behind the incident.
Mr Baghsarian was snatched from his home in North Ryde on February 13 in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity
The body of Mr Baghsarian was found around 40km away from his home where he was taken
