LAHORE, April 7: Gujjarpura investigation police handed over on Saturday the three girls, who went missing on Friday and were later found in War Burton in Nankana Sahib, to their families following a magistrate’s orders.

Sadia with her friends Iram and Saba, residents of the Singhpura area, left Sadia’s house in New Bhogiwal at 11:30am on Friday telling her mother that they were going to a Mehfil-e-Milad or a religious gathering at their teacher’s house. They, however, did not return.

Later, Sadia phoned her father Manzoor, saying they had been kidnapped by an unidentified man from Tangaywala Adda in Singhpura.

“We ran away on our own,” teenaged Sadia told Dawn at the Gujjarpura police station.

The girls, however, chose not to tell the reason of their escape from their houses.

They also refused to comment when asked if their escape was linked with their parents’ harsh attitude with them as has been reported by their neighbours.

They also denied the reports that they fled from the house due to harsh attitude of madrissha teachers.

“We have been studying at there for a year and female teachers teach us politely,” Sadia said.

However, Muhammad Illyas, Union Council 17 labour councillor, quoted Sadia and Iram as telling police that their parents beat them on domestic issues.

He said Iram’s mother had contracted a second marriage after the death of her first husband and her stepfather used to beat her.

A Gujjarpura investigation official seeking anonymity said Sadia had taken three suits that showed she had elopement plans.

Sadia’s father Manzoor said that he did not know why Sadia and her friends had taken such an extreme step. He denied that Sadia had been treated harshly.

Syed Shahbuddin Shah madrissah caretaker Qari Muhammad Ramzan said the girls had been studying at the seminary for a year.

“Sadia and Iram obtained good marks in the recent exam and never showed from behaviour that they did not want to study,” he said.

Sadia, 18, told this reporter, “Iram and I persuaded Saba, Sana and Mah Jabeen to run away together but only Saba agreed to us. We reached the railway station by a rickshaw.”

Iram told police that they had bought tickets for

Jaranwala and got on a Faisalabad-bound train. During the journey, Saba started feeling sick and Anjum, who was travelling with his daughter helped them.

She said Anjum took them to his house at War Burton in Nankana and treated Saba.

“I phoned my father that we had been kidnapped,” Sadia added.

Police investigators said the officials reached Sadia’s house after receiving an emergency call on Friday evening and started collecting information from her father Manzoor. Meanwhile, Anjum, the employee of the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, phoned Manzoor that the three girls were present at his house in War Burton. Police along with the parents brought the girls from War Burton to the Civil Lines Police Station.

Anjum told police the girls first told him that they were going to Jaranwala to see somebody but later changed their statements, saying that they had run away from their homes.

Police approached a magistrate at the district courts and sought his advice. Following his orders, the girls were handed over to their families in the presence of the union council nazim of 17 Union Council, Mian Tanveer, and other area notables. The parents pledged they would not mistreat the girls.

Police handed over Sadia to her father, Iram to his paternal uncle Rafeeq and Saba to her uncle.

Police took preventive action for the safety of the girls under section 107/150 of the Code of Criminal Procedure that binds the parents that they will not mistreat the girls. —Muhammad Faisal Ali