Thirty-seven-year-old Steve Lesniak, who is attached to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was snatched from the Club at about 9:10 hrs yesterday.

Lesniak, residents in the area said, was playing golf at the time of his abduction. The Tee Box is located about 300 metres from the Club House.

According to residents of Lusignan, the kidnappers emerged from the bushes east of the golf club course and held him up with their guns before taking him on foot through the bushes. They headed in the direction of Buxton. During the incident, Lesniak dropped his identification card and cellular phone

An employee of the golf club told the Chronicle that just after 09:00 hours he heard two boys who were working as caddies with Lesniak shouting: “Call police, they have kidnapped Steve.”

About five minutes after the alarm went up, patrols from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) arrived on the scene followed shortly afterwards by the police who immediately began combing the area in search of the victim and to possibly arrest the perpetrators.

The security forces were also using the GDF helicopter to scan the area in their efforts to locate Lesniak.

The Chronicle was reliably informed yesterday by diplomatic sources that a team of security officers from Washington was yesterday dispatched to Guyana to investigate the diplomat’s kidnapping.

The Chronicle understands that five men were actually involved in the kidnap but two of them executed the actual abduction.

Lesniak played golf at Lusignan frequently and would normally be in the company of friends when playing, but at the time of his abduction, he was playing alone, apart from the caddies, an employee said.

Employees of the Club also spoke glowingly of Lesniak, relating that he is always pleasant, friendly and helpful.

Meanwhile, the victim of an earlier kidnapping on Friday, Deo Basdeo of Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara escaped from his abductors unhurt.