An Italian chef has been kidnapped in the Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil, sources from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to Efe this Sunday, which closely follows the evolution of the situation together with its diplomatic staff in the South American country.

This is Panfilo Colonico, who has been in Ecuador for a little over two years in charge of the restaurant ‘Il Sabore mio’, where he was kidnapped last Friday by four men dressed as policemen, who took him away at gunpoint, according to the building cameras.

The Guayaquil police have activated a unit to locate him, while Italian diplomatic personnel in Ecuador have contacted his family in Sulmona, in the central region of Los Abruzzo.

At the moment the causes of the kidnapping are unknown, although investigators link it to a possible ransom request, according to local media.

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had recently warned of the lack of security in Ecuador and, in particular, in Guayaquil, where the kidnapping took place in the La Garzota neighborhood, near the airport.

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