Egypt's police have found a policeman who was abducted hours earlier by gunmen on a motorway north of Cairo, state news agency MENA reported on Sunday.

Captain Mohamed Haroun was driving in the northern governorate of Sharqiya when gunmen opened fire at his car and then kidnapped him, a security source said on Sunday morning.

Security forces found the officer hours later on the road, where his abductors had released him following a rapid search campaign by security forces in the area, MENA reported.

Haroun suffered from fatigue and had slight injuries, MENA  said.

The off-duty officer was visiting his family in the governorate.

It was unclear if the kidnapping was political or criminal.

Militant violence targeting security personnel has spiralled following the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last summer and an ensuing crackdown on his supporters.

Approximately 500 policemen and soldiers have since been killed in bombings and shootings, according to a government tally.

Militant fighters say their attacks are in retaliation for the clampdown that has killed hundreds of Islamists and jailed thousands of others.