Third Man Charged in Alleged Mistaken Identity Kidnap of Sydney Grandfather

A third man has been charged over the kidnapping and murder of 85-year-old Sydney grandfather Chris Baghsarian, with police alleging he was the central organiser who recruited the abductors and arranged for the body to be disposed of after the killing.

NSW Police tactical officers executed a search warrant at a Seven Hills home on Wednesday morning, arresting a 23-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman. The man was taken to Riverstone Police Station and is expected to face charges of specially aggravated kidnapping and murder. The woman was taken to Blacktown Police Station and is assisting with inquiries. During the search, officers seized firearms, firearm parts, ammunition, prohibited weapons, a significant quantity of prohibited drugs, mobile phones and electronic devices.

Detective Acting Superintendent Andrew Marks said investigators would allege the 23-year-old man "facilitated and recruited others" to assist in Baghsarian's kidnapping and detention. "We'll also allege that he arranged people to dispose of Mr Baghsarian's body," Marks said.

Baghsarian, a widower who lived alone, was dragged from his North Ryde home just after 5am on February 13 in what police say was a case of mistaken identity. A video later emerged showing him tied up at an abandoned, derelict property in Dural, about 20 kilometres from his home. By the time police identified and searched the location, he was gone. His remains were found 11 days later near a golf club in Pitt Town, in north-western Sydney.

Police believe the intended victim was a relative of Sydney businessman Dimitri Stepanyan, and that a ransom was the motive. "I suspect that the intended target was going to be kidnapped, where a ransom for money was going to be asked," Marks told reporters.

In the immediate aftermath of the kidnapping, NSW Police held successive press conferences publicly alerting the abductors to their mistake and urging them to release Baghsarian unharmed. Those appeals went unanswered.

Less than 24 hours after his remains were found, police raided two properties and arrested Gerard Andrews, 29, and Daniel Stevens, 24, both subsequently charged with kidnapping and murder. Marks told reporters at the time: "We'll allege in court that these men participated in a joint criminal enterprise with other persons to kidnap Mr Baghsarian."

Baghsarian's family described the situation as a "surreal nightmare," releasing a statement saying: "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."

Investigations are continuing.