Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 14

A 24-year-old Army jawan, on his way home in Poonch for Eid, was abducted by suspected militants in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Thursday morning. After a search, his body was found late in the evening.  Aurangzeb of 44 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), posted at Shadimarg camp in Pulwama, was travelling in a private car when the militants reportedly stopped the vehicle,  2 km from the camp at Kalampora.Pulwama SSP Mohammad Aslam said, “his  (Aurangzeb’s) bullet-riddled body was found in Gusoo village, 12 km from where he was abducted… The mutilated body had multiple bullet wounds.”Aurangzeb had joined the Army in 2012. Earlier in the day, defence sources had said the soldier was abducted by terrorists in a Maruti car, “three of them possibly armed”. But local sources claimed a soldier posted at Shadimarg  had stopped a car and requested that a man in civvies be dropped at Shopian. “This vehicle was later intercepted by  militants and the soldier abducted.” In Srinagar, Col Rajesh Kalia too confirmed the incident. The 44 Rashtriya Rifles has  carried out several successful operations in Pulwama this year, leaving more than 12 militants dead.Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah termed the incident as “a very worrying development”.