Police executed a warrant at a semi-rural property linked to the mistaken kidnapping of grandfather Chris Bagzarian.
An 85-year-old man has been held captive since three men bundled him into a dark SUV outside his Sydney home in the early hours of last Friday.
Detectives believe the widower is still alive after videos of what they say is a misidentified victim were intercepted at an unknown location.
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Police swarmed a property in Dural, 36km northwest of Sydney, on Thursday night after it was “believed to have been used by the kidnappers as a makeshift stronghold”.
A crime scene was established at the property.
Baghsarian’s family spoke publicly for the first time earlier this week, describing the kidnapping as a surreal and harrowing ordeal.
“Our family is living through a nightmare we never imagined,” they said in a brief statement released by police.
Bagsarian’s lack of personal links with any criminal or underworld activities makes the case difficult for investigators.
No ransom was demanded, leaving the police to appeal directly to the kidnappers to bring the grandfather back to safety.
“This is not a case of them randomly picking people up for the sake of it,” Det Supt Andrew Marks told reporters on Monday.
“They thought they were going to take someone but they took the wrong person.”
Police continue to appeal for the public’s help to help identify and arrest those responsible for his kidnapping.
