Italian-Venezuelan businessman Filippo Sindoni, who was kidnapped late Tuesday in central Aragua state, was found dead early on Wednesday in northwestern Lara state, with a shot in his head, and lacerations and haematomas both in his face and hands.

Lisandro Zapata, chief of the Scientific, Crime and Criminalistics Corps (Cicpc) in Lara state, said Sindoni's body was found near a ravine.

Sindoni's car was stopped at a checkpoint where four men wearing police uniforms and carrying firearms attacked him and his driver/bodyguard.

Zapata could not say whether the men were local police officers or impostors. Two kidnappers got in Sindoni's car and got rid of his driver a few meters away. The two other men drove another car escorting Sindoni's.

Sindoni's car was found in central Carabobo state with blood traces. Cicpc officers could not confirm whether the Italian-Venezuelan businessman was killed in his car or at the place where his body was found. He was killed at around 1:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m. Wednesday.

As to the motivation of his assassination, there are two hypotheses: he was kidnapped and killed when he opposed to his kidnappers, or he was the victim of hit men. But no other hypothesis has been ruled out.