How did Sydney grandpa get kidnapped by mistake? Police ask as remains found

Australian Broadcasting CorporationPolice say they are working to identify the remainsAustralian police have found human remains in their search for a Sydney grandfather who they believe was kidnapped by mistake almost two weeks ago.Widower Chris Baghsarian, 85, was forcibly taken from his home in North Ryde just before dawn on 13 February, with CCTV showing a group of masked men bundling him into an SUV.Police say the incident was most likely a case of mistaken identity, and local media have reported the intended target was a man with links to a well-known organised crime family, or his relatives."We're all outraged that this could happen to an innocent man," Det Acting Supt Andrew Marks said on Tuesday."I speak for not only the police but the public in general, we're outraged… [at] the recklessness of these people."Detectives say their investigation is now turning to identifying the remains – and determining how an ordinary grandfather ended up the victim of an crime which may have been aimed at a much younger gang associate he didn't even know.The skies were still dark and sunrise more than an hour away when a dark-coloured SUV pulled up on a residential street on a quiet February morning.CCTV footage captured several men getting out of the car and disappearing into the house before emerging a short while later, holding a man who is struggling in their arms. About 36 hours after the kidnapping, police reveal the man taken is Chris Baghsarian, and make the first of several desperate public appeals for his safe return.NSW PolicePolice say Chris Baghsarian, 85, was kidnapped by mistake They said they are "a million percent confident" the group had taken the wrong man – neither Baghsarian nor his family had any links to organised crime."The fact that these offenders – these kidnappers – have got it so wrong is concerning," Marks said at the time.Authorities release an image of a grey-haired Baghsarian, smiling at the camera, and urge his captors to release the elderly man, saying he relies on daily medication to survive.His family, meanwhile, say they're living through a surreal nightmare they never imagined possible."Chris is a devoted father, brother, uncle, and grandfather. He is deeply loved, gentle, and the kindest person we know – someone who would never hurt a fly," they said in a statement."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."As the days passed, police said they hadn't received any ransom note for the grandfather, but messages and videos began circulating in Sydney's underworld purportedly showed Baghsarian – wearing the pyjamas he was kidnapped in – with serious injuries.Among the messages was a A$50m (£26.2m; $35.3m) ransom demand addressed to a man who used to live nearby.As authorities' pleas for Baghsarian's return intensified, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns suggested the kidnappers could "drop [him] off at a shopping centre or an emergency department or even a nursing home".NSW PoliceTwo cars have helped police trace Baghsarian's movementsSeveral days after the kidnapping, two blazing cars were found in another Sydney suburb – triggering a breakthrough in the case.Believed to be stolen, one of the cars contained blood-stained carpet which police were able to link to both Baghsarian and an abandoned property in Dural which they raided on Thursday.Detectives cross-referenced the earlier videos allegedly showing Baghsarian being tied up and assaulted and determined that he had been at the Dural property before they arrived.New information also linked the grey vehicle to another area further north, which is where, over the weekend, police focused their efforts in an area of dense bushland.On Tuesday morning, police confirmed they had found human remains near a golf course on the outskirts of Sydney in Pitt Town.Police refused to provide any details on the condition the body was found in, but said an autopsy would be carried out to determine the cause of death. "I've spoken to the family and as you can understand, they are deeply upset," Marks said. He appealed to any witnesses who may have seen suspicious activity around the golf course on Saturday 14 February – the day after Baghsarian was kidnapped."No matter how small the information you think it is, please contact us and we'll investigate the information that you have," Marks added. Cases of mistaken identity have become more common in Sydney's underworld, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, as large organised crime networks increasingly subcontract crimes.Last year, a 23-year-old plumber was shot dead in his driveway in Condell Park in what police believe was also a case of mistaken identity.Sydney police plead for return of man, 85, kidnapped by mistake Organised crimeAustralia