LAHORE: Three minor girls, trying to go to South Africa, were taken into protective custody by Railway Police at the Lahore Railway Station on Tuesday.

The girls, all classmates in grade 7 at a school in Dera Ghazi Khan, first travelled to Lahore by a bus from their hometown. Their naïve plan, according to Railways Police authorities, was to cross the Wagah border into India on foot before making their way to South Africa.

“The police on duty at Lahore station took these girls into custody, who had travelled alone from DG Khan by a bus. The girls left their homes in search of a glamorous lifestyle,” a PR police official told Dawn.

In their statements, the girls revealed their intentions to travel to South Africa.

An FIR regarding their disappearance had already been registered at Kot Mubarak police in Dera Ghazi Khan. The girls were found at the railway station platform by constable Shah Nawaz, who handed them over to lady police constables to protect them from potential danger, including human traffickers.

The girls had disguised themselves by wearing their brothers’ clothes and cutting their hair to appear male. They carried two pairs of scissors, maps of India and South Africa, a few clothes, and had only Rs100 when the police found them.

They also disclosed plans to travel to Karachi from Lahore.

A male passenger had offered to accompany them to Karachi, but before they could decide, the police intervened.

The official said the girls had a mobile phone with a password ‘My Love My Dream’. However, upon checking the phone’s data, the police found no evidence of outside involvement. After taking the girls into custody and recording their statements, the police contacted the Dera Ghaz Khan police, where their parents had already filed a missing persons report.

The parents subsequently arrived in Lahore and took their daughters into custody.

The official said the girls had an unrealistic and immature plan, influenced by social media. He urged parents to closely monitor their children’s activities to protect them from such situations in future.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2024