A body has been located during search efforts for an elderly grandfather kidnapped in a case of mistaken identity.

Police announced the human remains had been located near a golf club in Pitt Town, northwest Sydney, about 8am on Tuesday.

The discovery comes 11 days after he was taken from his North Ryde home on February 13, in what police are “confidently” calling a case of mistaken identity.

Police pleaded with his captors to release him over fears for his health, only for disturbing footage of him tied up and beaten to be circulated through underworld circles online.

However, the footage was used to identify a derelict home in Dural, about 10km south of where his body was found, as where he is believed to have been held after being taken.

Police scoured the home over the weekend and were seen carrying out bags of evidence, including a piece of carpet.

Wrongfully kidnapped grandfather, Chris Baghsarian.Wrongfully kidnapped grandfather, Chris Baghsarian. Credit: 7NEWS Search efforts in Glenorie bushland.Search efforts in Glenorie bushland. Credit: 7NEWS

Specialist officers, the Dog Squad and a police helicopter had searched dense bushland in nearby Glenorie over the weekend after a silver Toyota Corolla was spotted nearby.

The Toyota was one of two scorched cars found in Westmead days after Baghsarian’s kidnapping. It had forensic evidence linking it to both him and the Dural home.

Authorities had earlier said they fear Baghsarian’s life may be at risk without his daily medication, with Detective Acting Superintendent Andrew Marks previously admitting that “hope was fading”.

“We have grave concerns for his safety, but we won’t give up trying to find him alive,” he said.

Police carrying evidence out of a Dural home in relation to the kidnapping of Chris Baghsarian.Police carrying evidence out of a Dural home in relation to the kidnapping of Chris Baghsarian. Credit: 7NEWS

 

In a statement released on February 17, Baghsarian’s family said the devastating crime should have had “nothing to do with us”.

“Our family is living through a nightmare we never thought possible,” they said.

“Chris’s kidnapping feels surreal, and 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.

“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.”

Investigations into the kidnapping remain ongoing and anyone with information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

SOURCE: https://7news.com.au/news/chris-baghsarian-body-found-in-search-for-kidnapped-grandfather-in-sydney-bushland-c-21724904