QUITO, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Ecuadorian councilor Bolivar Vera from Duran Canton was found dead on a road in the coastal province of Guayas hours after being kidnapped, Vera's relatives said Friday.
Martha Vera Peralta, sister of the deceased, confirmed his death in a Facebook message, which Interior Minister Juan Zapata later corroborated.
Vera was kidnapped on Thursday afternoon in the El Arbolito section of the canton while traveling in a vehicle with his nephew.
A car with several armed men intercepted his vehicle and took him by force, according to local media.
His body was found in an empty lot in San Guillermo on the road to Salitre in Guayas, according to police forensic agents.
This adds to surging attacks against Ecuadorian politicians by crime organizations this year, including the assassination of the presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio ahead of the Aug. 20 general election, which led President Guillermo Lasso to declare a national state of emergency on Aug. 10 for 60 days. ■
