Overview
- Detectives released stills of an unidentified man taken at a Leppington Bunnings on February 11 that show him in a high‑visibility top holding a sledgehammer and they have urged the public to contact Crime Stoppers with information.
- Police say 85‑year‑old Chris Baghsarian was allegedly kidnapped from his North Ryde home in the early hours of February 13 and later found dead after an 11‑day search.
- Investigators believe Baghsarian was taken in a case of mistaken identity and was likely killed the night after his abduction at a makeshift stronghold in Dural.
- Four people have been charged over the alleged kidnapping and murder and remain before the courts while detectives probe whether a planned $50 million ransom for a relative of businessman Dimitri Stepanyan motivated the plot.
- Police say the investigation has broadened and could involve up to nine people as they work to identify additional suspects and any organisers behind the operation.