Two teenaged girls found roaming at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) over a week ago had told police they had fled home to escape being sold. But, the script changed dramatically when they were produced before the juvenile court, reported Times Of India.
The girls confessed they had cooked up the story as they wanted to live with their grandmother in Bihar.
The girls, aged 13 and 14 years, are cousins. The 13-year-old’s mother was widowed and subsequently remarried two years ago. Her stepfather, who works in a private company, had rented a house in Nalasopara.
A month ago, he brought his wife and the two girls from Bihar. The cousin had been living with them for some time since her mother’s death.
Police said the girls did not like the new surroundings in Nalasopara and wanted to return to Bihar.
On August 23, the 13-year-old’s mother took ill. She asked the girls to inform her employer at a papad factory that she would be taking the day off.
The girls seized the opportunity and, after delivering the message, headed to LTT.
But the auto driver who ferried them sensed something amiss. He informed the GRP at LTT who took the two girls to the chowky.
The 13-year-old told cops she had overheard her stepfather talk on the phone about his plans to sell them both.
However, when produced before the juvenile court, the girls admitted to fabricating the story.
The girls have been sent to a shelter home and the court has summoned the 13-year-old’s mother.