New Delhi  - Maoist rebels in India's eastern state of Jharkhand killed a senior police officer five days after abducting him, a news report said Tuesday.

The decapitated body of Francis Enduwar, a special intelligence officer from the Jharkhand police, was found on a highway in the Bundu area, 40 kilometres south-east of the state capital Ranchi, on Tuesday morning, the NDTV network reported.

Enduwar was abducted on September 30 in an area near Ranchi. Militants subsequently demanded that three of their arrested leaders be released in exchange for Enduwar but the government refused.

Security forces and police launched a massive operation to track Maoist guerrillas in the region, Jharkhand officials said.

The rebels are active in 20 of India's 28 states in a "red corridor" stretching from the border with Nepal down to Andhra Pradesh state in the south, according to latest government data.

More than 580 people have been killed in the fighting since January.

The rebels claim they are fighting for the rights of landless, poor and tribal people and usually target security and government officials and government installations.

Jharkhand is among the Indian states most affected by left-wing extremism.

Government troops have been conducting an anti-Maoist offensive in Chhattisgarh state and New Delhi is planning a campaign along similar lines in Jharkhand. (dpa)