One of NSW Police’s most wanted men escaped authorities and fled the country six days after detectives raided his home over a brutal Sydney gangland murder.
Rabieh Baltagi, 30, is being pursued by the homicide squad on a warrant over the June 2022 shooting death of underworld figure Yusuf Nazlioglu.
Nazlioglu, a former bikie, had recently been cleared over the murder of Comanchero boss Mick Hawi when he was gunned down in a Rhodes car park.
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This week police released the first image seen of Mr Baltagi four years after he is alleged to have shot dead Nazlioglu in front of his partner.
Court cases related to the murder of Nazlioglu have previously heard that Mr Baltagi and another man were allegedly paid $300,000 to carry out the execution.
Fugitive not seen since boarding overseas flight
In the years since the shooting two men have been found guilty of murder for their roles in the plot to kill Nazlioglu as revenge for him stealing two luxury cars.
Mr Baltagi, however, remains overseas.
The police theory in those cases was that Mr Baltagi was either the gunman who shot Nazliolgu or the getaway driver.
On July 6, 2022, 11 days after Nazlioglu’s death, a court heard police searched the home of Mr Baltagi in connection with the murder and found two ‘Ciphr’ phones.
Police forces across Australia have found Ciphr devices to be the primary communication device among underworld figures due to its security features.
Mr Baltagi was not arrested.
Six days later he boarded a flight to Lebanon and has never been seen since.
Yusuf Nozlioglu was shot 10 times after he came home to his apartment block in Rhodes. (Supplied)
Police revealed during the trial of one of the men convicted of murdering Nazlioglu that the man had visited Mr Baltagi overseas after the shooting and returned to Australia.
Nazlioglu’s death was the fourteenth fatal gangland shooting since an underworld war erupted in 2020.
The toll has now risen to 40.
Baltagi on the radar of NSW Police
NSW Police this week named Mr Baltagi as one of their nine most wanted fugitives currently on the run.
State Crime Commander Assistant Commissioner Scott Cook said locating the fugitives’ movements would be “critical” to assisting police in a series of investigations.
“We also want to make it absolutely clear that anyone assisting these men to evade law enforcement may be committing a serious criminal offence,”
Assistant Commissioner Cook said.
“If you are providing support, you should stop immediately and consider the consequences.
“The process for mutual legal assistance to return these individuals to New South Wales is underway, and we are working closely with our federal partners and international law enforcement agencies to ensure they are brought back to answer the serious allegations against them.”
