2 children run away from home, traced in 12 hours

Two children, who ran away from their house here as they were not allowed by their grandfather to step out for fear of contracting coronavirus, were traced within 12 hours, police said on Monday.

The boy (7) and his sister (12) - children of working parents - packed their clothes and left home on Saturday afternoon.

They ran away while the father and mother were at work, the police said.

The two said they were orphans in search of jobs in petty shops and tea stalls, they said.

After walking three-and-a-half kilometres, they went to an old woman's house and asked her food.

She gave them food and the two remained there and slept, the police said.

Meanwhile, the parents of the two, after returning from work, found them missing and sought police help.

With the help of CCTV footage and enquiry, the police traced the children to the aged woman's house on Sunday and handed over the boy and girl to their parents.