An army soldier who had come home on leave went missing in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Saturday evening, with his family fearing that he had been abducted.

The army, police and paramilitary forces launched a massive search operation in the area, but there was no official confirmation that he was kidnapped.

Officials identified the missing soldier as Rifleman Javed Ahmad Wani, 25, from Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry regiment. He was posted in Leh and had come home to celebrate Id with his family.

Javed’s family said he was to join duty on Monday.

The family made a tearful appeal to Javed’s alleged abductors to release him and said they would ask him to quit the army if they spared his life.

Javed’s mother told reporters at her home in Asthal village on Sunday that his son had stepped out to buy a few household items on Saturday afternoon.

“We called him around 7pm. He said he had left (adjoining) Chawalgam village and was purchasing meat. His brother called him again later and he said he would reach home in five minutes,” she said.

The family lost contact with Javed after that and started looking for him when he failed to return by 9pm. Javed’s car was found near a market but he was untraceable.

“The car’s windows were open. He was apparently dragged out and may have been beaten (after resisting an attempt to abduct him). There were blood stains on the ground and on the car. One of his slippers and some bananas were lying inside the car,” Javed’s mother said.

She issued a video statement seeking forgiveness for his son and urged his alleged abductors to release him.

“Please return him to us if you have taken him. Javed come home. Release my Javed. I seek forgiveness. Please have mercy on us,” she said.

“If he has done anything wrong, forgive him, forgive us. We apologise.”

She said Javed would quit the army if they released him.

“We will ask him to quit. I will keep him home, he won’t work (in the army). I am devastated. I will sell everything for him.”

The family said Javed’s brother had lost his eyesight recently and he wanted to get him treated.

Kashmir police have registered a case and arrested some suspects.

Several soldiers at home on leave have been abducted and killed by militants in the past.