An off-duty Army jawan remained untraced for more than 24 hours on Monday after suspected militants kidnapped him and set his car on fire in south Kashmir’s Kulgam.
“A search is on. The security forces are on the job to find him. He has not been traced yet,” Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar told The Hindu.
An official identified the kidnapped soldier as rifleman Shakir Manzoor of 162 Battalion of the Territorial Army. “Manzoor has been missing since 5 p.m. on Sunday. His abandoned burnt car has been found near Kulgam. It is suspected that the soldier has been abducted by militants,” an official said.
Preliminary reports suggest that the jawan was off duty and was intercepted by unknown men at Rambhama Nohama in Kulgam and forced him off the vehicle before setting it on fire. The damaged car has been seized.
“Manzoor was on leave and was heading home to Rishipora for Eid,” a police official said.
