An 85-year-old Australian grandfather was kidnapped from his Sydney home and murdered in a case of mistaken identity, police revealed. Chris Baghsarian, a widower living alone, was dragged from his bed on February 13 by assailants who intended to kidnap another man for ransom.

Detectives believe the attackers planned to demand money from the intended target's family. New South Wales Police immediately alerted the kidnappers to their error through press conferences, urging them to release Baghsarian safely. Instead, footage emerged showing the elderly man tied up at an abandoned property in Dural, 20 kilometers from his home.

Baghsarian's body was discovered near a golf course west of Sydney on Tuesday. Two men, ages 29 and 24, were arrested Wednesday and face charges of kidnapping and murder. Police suspect at least three people were involved in the fatal abduction and expect further arrests. Criminologist Clarke Jones noted that kidnappings are rare in Australia, especially when victims have no criminal history suggesting they were targets.