New Delhi, Feb. 9 -- A leading Venezuelan opposition figure, Juan Pablo Guanipa, has reportedly been a'kidnapped' by armed men in Caracas just hours after his release from prison.

Guanipa, a prominent leader of the conservative Primero Justicia party, was among several high-profile political prisoners freed on Sunday as part of what political allies described as a renewed push by the authorities to meet US demands for the release of those held for political reasons. His family and opposition leaders say he was later seized by unidentified assailants in the Los Chorros neighbourhood of the capital.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said Guanipa was snatched by a group of men late on Sunday night.

"Heavily armed men dress...