Runaway teen disguised herself as boy to avoid male attention

Government railway police (GRP) on Sunday found a 14-year-old girl from Gujarat who was living under the guise of a boy to keep herself safe from rowdies at Indore railway station.

Government railway police (GRP) on Sunday found a 14-year-old girl from Gujarat who was living under the guise of a boy to keep herself safe from rowdies at Indore railway station.

The girl from Surat was missing from her home since October 15 and arrived here in a train via Gwalior and Bhopal about four days ago, government railway police said.

The girl had chopped her hair short to avoid attention.

In the morning hours, a GRP constable saw the girl lost in her thoughts, sitting alone on a bench. Sensing something amiss, the constable approached the girl and enquired about her whereabouts.

Later, he handed the girl to the Government railway police station which got in touch with the Childline team.

“We contacted her parents and they are on way to Indore. She will undergo some medical tests if we get consent from her parents. After initial enquiry, we came to know that the girl has psychological problem,” Childline director Wasim Iqbal told Hindustan Times.

The family members told Childline officials that she left home on October 15 when they refused to take her along with them to a family function.

The Childline team sent the girl to a psychiatrist for counselling.

“We will also enquire why no train ticket examiner noticed her travelling alone in train,” Iqbal added.