New Delhi, Jul 14 (PTI) Upset after being scolded for skipping tuition classes, two siblings who ran away from their Delhi home were traced in Haridwar and rescued from the house of an e-rickshaw driver, an official said on Monday.

According to the e-rickshaw driver, the siblings said they were orphans and needed help, so he kept them in his house.

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On June 21, two children, including a 16-year-old girl and her seven-year-old brother, both studying in government schools, had left their home in outer Delhi's Nihal Vihar area in anger after being reprimanded for skipping tuition classes, he said.

Their parents reported the matter at Nihal Vihar Police Station around 1.30 am in the intervening night of June 22 and 23, a senior police officer said, adding that a case was registered under Section 137(2) (Kidnapping) of the BNS.

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“The initial probe yielded no clues from CCTV footage near the children's residence. However, the team later spotted visuals of the children boarding an autorickshaw matching their descriptions,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Sachin Sharma said.

The auto's registration number was traced to a man named Papu who told police that he had dropped the children at ISBT Kashmere Gate and provided them with his phone number.

Papu said that while dropping the children at ISBT, he had given his phone number and had asked them to inform him after getting on the bus.

The children used the phone of one Nitin Sharma, who was also on the Haridwar-bound bus, to call the auto driver,” the DCP added.

When contacted, Nitin Sharma told police that he had taken a bus from Rewari Depot at 12.08 pm and two children had made a call using his phone. “(Nitin) Sharma said that he alighted from the bus at the second last stop and the bus proceeded to its destination,” he said.

The name of the driver and conductor of the bus was obtained and they were examined, the officer said, adding that they confirmed that two children had alighted from their bus at 9.30 pm.

Another police team was dispatched to Haridwar to carry out ground-level checks at shelters, guest houses, and religious accommodations. Despite initial setbacks, CCTV footage at Haridwar showed the children riding in an e-rickshaw, the DCP said.

Using the visuals, police identified the e-rickshaw driver as Vicky, a local resident, who told police that the children had approached him at the Haridwar bus stand, claiming they were orphans who needed help.

"After a long struggle, the name, address and phone number were ascertained," the DCP said.

Vicky told police that the siblings told him that their parents are no more and requested him to arrange some work for them.

So, he took them to his residence, where he lived with his son and daughter.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)