Ranchi, Oct 6 (IANS) The decapitated body of a Jharkhand police officer, who had been abducted by Maoists and was sought to be swapped for three of their leaders including Kobad Ghandy, was found on the Ranchi-Jamshedpur highway Tuesday morning.

Francis Induwar, who worked as an intelligence official in the Special Branch, had been kidnapped Sep 30.

The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) left a pamphlet claiming the killing, a police official said. "Francis has been awarded death to protest the police repression," stated the pamphlet by the outlawed group.

In New Delhi, Home Minister P. Chidambaram called it "a cold-blooded murder".

"I condemn it," the minister told Times Now television channel. "It is not acceptable. They have killed him in cold blood."

Added R.K. Mallik, deputy inspector general of police, Ranchi range:

"The beheaded body was found near Raisha valley situated on the Ranchi-Jamshedpur highway on Tuesday morning. The body has been identified and sent for postmortem. Maoists killed him by slitting his throat.

"This is an act of cowardice of Maoist rebels who killed a police officer who was posted in the Special Branch," Mallik told IANS.

While Induwar's wife is in shock, his nine-year-old son vowed to avenge his father's death by becoming a police officer. "Maoists have killed my father and I will kill them by becoming a police officer," said Abhishek.

Informed sources said Sunita had an indication of what was to come when the Maoist guerrillas demanded the release of three of their colleagues in exchange for her husband.

She is learnt to have requested them not to put forward such tough conditions. Angry relatives of the slain officer added that the government did not make serious efforts to negotiate his release.

Police officers in the state intelligence department also expressed their anguish, with hundreds protesting outside the police headquarters here.

"The abduction of Francis was not taken seriously. Had serious efforts been made, he could have been rescued," said one of his colleagues.

Induwar was abducted on the evening of Sep 30 from the Hembrum market in Khuti district, about 65 km from here, where he had gone to meet a contact.

On Saturday, a person claiming to be 'Samarji', secretary of the Maoist South Chotanagpur Committee of Jharkhand, put forward the conditions for releasing Induwar.

"The abducted police inspector of intelligence department is in our possession. He is safe. He will be released after the arrested leaders - Kobad Ghandy, Chatradhar Mahto and Bhushan Yadav - are released," local newspapers had quoted Samarji as saying.

"Do not torture relatives of Kundan Pahan and other people, otherwise we will abduct family members of government officials," it went on to say.

Kobad Gandhy was arrested Sep 21 in New Delhi, Chhatradhar Mahato was caught by the West Bengal Police Sep 26 and Bhushan Yadav was nabbed Oct 2 -- also in West Bengal and handed over to Jharkhand.

Police suspect the role of the Kundan Pahan group in the killing. It is active in the border areas of Ranchi, Khuti and Jamshedpur.