By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
30 April 2006

Afghan police have found the beheaded body of an Indian engineer, who was kidnapped Friday by suspected Taleban militants.

 
Manjula, center right, wife of K. Suryanarayana, his daughters Anisha, top right, Manisha, bottom right, and son Satya Teja grieve his death in Hyderabad, April 30, 2006 
  
Speaking to reporters in Kabul, Interior Ministry spokesman Yousef Stanizai confirmed K. Suryanarayana's body was found Sunday.

"The Indian engineer who was kidnapped on Friday has been killed by the enemies of Afghanistan," he said. "The Interior Ministry strongly condemns this act of the terrorists."

A Taleban spokesman claimed the Islamic militants shot and killed the father of three as he tried to break free.

Suryanarayana was seized Friday evening, along with his Afghan driver, in Zabul Province, where he was helping expand the region's mobile phone network.

The kidnappers reportedly said they would kill their hostage, unless all Indians working in Afghanistan left the country.

India has taken a lead role in supporting Afghanistan's reconstruction, and hundreds of Indians work there as drivers, development specialists and business entrepreneurs.

News of Suryanarayana's murder provoked a storm of protests from both Afghan and Indian officials.

In a statement, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the engineer's death was clearly the work of enemies of Afghanistan.

In New Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for unity in the face of terrorism, and expressed his condolences to the grieving family.

Taleban insurgents kidnapped and later killed four Macedonian workers last month, and late last year militants abducted and then killed an Indian truck driver in southern Afghanistan.