Humiliating arrest footage has emerged of one of the two men taken into custody over the alleged kidnapping and murder of 85-year-old grandfather Chris Baghsarian.
The men, both aged in their 20s, were arrested in the early hours of Wednesday morning after police swarmed two properties in Sydney‘s northwest.
NSW Police have released footage of heavily armed officers forcing entry into both properties.
One of the handcuffed men, 29, suffered an embarrassing slip when his jeans fell down to his ankles while being dragged by officers from the Kenthurst home into the back of a police car.
The man was also wearing a fake designer T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan ‘original Gucci’.
The second man, 24, was shirtless, barefoot and did not get a chance to get dressed when he was arrested at a separate property in nearby Castle Hill.
It comes hours after police discovered Mr Baghsarian’s body close to Lynwood Golf and Country Club at Pitt Town, near Windsor on Tuesday, ending an 11-day search for the grandfather allegedly kidnapped from his North Ryde home on February 13.
Early inquiries established that Mr Baghsarian was not the intended target of the alleged kidnapping and had been taken in a case of mistaken identity.
One man suffered an unfortunate slip during his arrest at Kenthurst on Wednesday
The man’s jeans fell to his ankles as he was dragged by officers to a waiting police car
The second man arrested in Castle Hill was taken to the police station shirtless and barefoot
‘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.’
Both men were taken to Riverstone Police Station, where inquiries continue. They are expected to be charged over the alleged kidnapping and murder.
Detectives continue to search Kenthurst and Castle Hill properties, along with a third Lake Macquarie property in the NSW Hunter region north of Sydney.
A Toyota Corolla has since been seized and towed from the sprawling Kenthurst property worth an estimated $4.7 million, along with several bags of evidence at the Castle Hill property.
Two electronic devices were allegedly seized from the Lake Macquarie address.
‘I want to assure you that our work is not done and we will continue to find out and identify those that were involved,’ Detective Acting Superintendent Andrew Marks told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.
He added that police will allege that the two men arrested were in the North Ryde area on the morning of the alleged abduction and were known to police for ‘insignificant matters’.
The body of alleged kidnapping victim Chris Baghsarian was found on Tuesday, ending an 11-day search
The man arrested at Kenthurst was taken away in a police vehicle
Two men are in custody at Riverstone Police Station, where they are assisting detectives with inquiries in relation to the alleged kidnapping of Sydney grandfather Chris Baghsarian
‘We will allege in court that these men participated in a joint criminal enterprise to kidnap Mr Baghsarian and ultimately where he was held hostage, where he came to his death – and they will be charged with his murder,’ Det Supt Marks said.
‘I can tell you at the search warrants at Kenthurst and Castle Hill, detectives seized electronic devices, clothing and other items, that we will suggest link to the kidnapping and murder of Mr Baghsarian.
‘We’re still investigating in relation to what their knowledge was and what their involvement was in relation to the alleged kidnapping and in relation to any other persons involved.’
Police suspect least two other people were also involved in the alleged abduction.
‘We suspect that there’s more than three,’ Det Supt Marks added.
‘We have identified two people that were (allegedly) involved. We know that there’s others involved, although we celebrate small wins, we know there’s a lot more work to go.’
Det Supt Marks described the investigation as one of the worst cases he’s worked on.
‘The fact that an innocent man was taken from his home is not acceptable, these people need to be held to account for that, and that’s why we are bringing these people before the courts, and we hope that it doesn’t happen again,’ he said.
Relatives of Dimitri Stepanyan (pictured with his sister Katiusha) are understood to have been the intended targets of the kidnapping
Floral tributes were seen outside Chris Baghsarian’s home in North Ryde on Wednesday, a day after his body was found
The grandfather’s body was found near Lynwood Golf and Country Club in Pitt Town, near Windsor on Tuesday
Police earlier released a brief statement on behalf of Mr Baghsarian’s grieving family.
‘We welcome the news of the recent arrests in relation to the kidnapping of our father and grandfather,’ the statement read.
‘As we continue attempting to come to terms with this incident, we ask that media respect our privacy.’
Floral tributes, handwritten notes and a pair of shoes were seen at the doorstep of Baghsarian’s North Ryde home on Wednesday.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon earlier praised detectives for their relentless efforts in finding Mr Baghsarian, despite the tragic outcome.
‘Their priority was obviously to have Mr Baghsarian returned to his family safe. Tragically, that’s not the case, but they have been committed to putting those responsible before the courts,’ he told 2GB.
Commissioner Lanyon added that the two men arrested were ‘assisting police’.
‘Significant investigations have been ongoing. There has been a multifaceted approach – our main thing was to try have Mr Baghsarian returned to his family safely – that was the key priority for investigators,’ he said.
‘To do that, they have left no stone unturned.’
The body of Mr Baghsarian was found around 40km away from his home where he was taken
It comes as major underworld figures have pledged to kill the ‘fools’ responsible for Mr Baghsarian’s alleged kidnap and murder.
The alleged intended target of the kidnapping was one-time criminal Dimitri Stepanyan, a Sydney businessman and associate of the Alameddine crime family.
Daily Mail revealed earlier this week that Mr Stepanyan’s parents, who lived just three doors up from Mr Baghsarian’s North Ryde home, suddenly left their home on the day of the kidnapping.
Neighbours say they returned to the home for a couple of hours on Monday, shortly before they were publicly identified, to pack some belongings before leaving again.
