Murder suspect arrested with pants spherical his ankles as cops catch him off guard in raid
Widower Chris Baghsarian, 85, was abducted for ransom earlier this month in what police believe to be a case of mistaken identity, now two men have been arrested for his murder
A murder suspect’s trousers fell down as he was led away by police investigating the death of a grandfather who had been mistakenly kidnapped. Footage showed Gerard Andrews’ jeans fall down to his ankles as he was frogmarched to a police car by cops.
Andrews, 29, and Daniel Stevens, 24, were charged with the murder and abduction of widower Chris Baghsarian, 85, who went missing earlier this month. His remains were found on Monday, more than a week after he vanished in a case of mistaken identity.
Dramatic footage released by cops showed the moment the pair were arrested in raids in Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday. They were refused bail to appear before a court on Thursday. Police believe they were going to ask for a ransom of $50m from his family.
Andrews, dressed in a white T-shirt and unbuttoned jeans, struggled as he was escorted down the driveway, tripping and stumbling over his jeans as they dropped over his feet.
He then suffered an embarrassing slip on his way to the police van when his jeans fell to his ankles, flashing his black underwear. A cop then helped him pull his pants back up once he was inside the vehicle.
Shirtless Stevens, 24, was seen dressed in only a pair of black and white shorts as police dragged him into the back of the car, where he was taken into custody.
Mr Baghsarian was abducted from his home in the sleepy Sydney suburb of North Ryde in a pre-dawn raid on February 13. His remains were found in a field in Pitt Town 11 days after he was kidnapped.
In the days after the kidnapping, police made several pleas for those who had taken Mr Baghsarian to safely return him as he had health issues and needed daily medication.
Videos circulated online showing Mr Baghsarian injured and his family described their ordeal as a surreal nightmare. Authorities said they were “a million percent confident” the wrong man had been taken as neither he nor his family had any links to organised crime.
New South Wales Police said the discovery of two burnt-out cars and a raid on an abandoned property in Dural, an outer suburb of Sydney, led them to an area in nearby Pitt Town where they found the remains.
Stevens and Andrews, both still living with their parents, were dragged out of their homes in Kenthurst and Castlehill by officers on Wednesday morning. Detectives seized electronic devices, clothing and other items from another address in Lake Macquarie.
Detective Acting Superintendent Andrew Marks said formal identification had yet to take place on, but they believe they are of the missing 85-year-old.
He added: “I don’t believe that they were expecting us to come, in relation to the parents, I believe that those two that were arrested today were probably waiting for us to come. 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.”
Cases of mistaken identity have become more common in Sydney’s underworld as large organised crime networks increasingly subcontract crimes, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Last year, a 23-year-old plumber was shot dead in his driveway in what police believe was also a case of mistaken identity.
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