A man allegedly snatched outside a Mount Pritchard tobacconist has been found alive after a covert police operation in Sydney’s northwest, with a teenage boy now in custody.

The 53-year-old was reportedly taken just after 6am on Tuesday from Meadows Road, when four men wearing balaclavas allegedly approached him, assaulted him and forced him into a waiting Hyundai hatchback.

In a surprise twist, the alleged abduction occurred close to a Dural property where police believe kidnapped grandfather Christopher Baghsarian, 85, was held before his body was discovered in Pitt Town on Tuesday.

Authorities have not indicated any direct link between the two matters, but the geographic overlap is likely to intensify scrutiny as investigations continue.

The 53-year-old’s brazen daylight abduction triggered a rapid escalation within NSW Police, with State Crime Command’s Robbery and Serious Crime Squad launching Strike Force Martinook to track down the missing man.

By Thursday morning, detectives backed by the Tactical Operations Unit, converged on a property in Dural.

Inside, they located the alleged victim and arrested a 16-year-old boy.

Paramedics assessed the man at the scene before taking him to hospital in a stable condition.

The teenager was taken to Castle Hill Police Station, where he remains as inquiries continue.

Police have not yet released further details about the alleged motive or whether more arrests are expected, but investigations under Strike Force Martinook remain ongoing.

More to come…

SOURCE: https://thenightly.com.au/australia/nsw/mt-pritchard-kidnapping-near-dural-property-linked-to-christopher-baghsarian-murder-investigation-c-21760440