A 17-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl secretly flew from Tripura to Chennai, Tamil Nadu for “sightseeing”.

Thanks to alert cops at the Chennai airport and swift action by Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) in both states the teenagers will soon be reunited with their parents.

A CWC member said the duo landed in Chennai on Monday afternoon. A friend was supposed to receive them but he didn’t turn up; so, the two spent the night at the airport. Later, when cops at the airport noticed them wandering there, they informed Childline.

“They had taken a flight from Agartala to Kolkata and then to Chennai as the boy has a friend here. Initially, they were giving contradictory explanations but later said they were in love and had come to Chennai for sightseeing. The girl also wanted to go on a flight,” a CWC member told The Times of India.

The official further stated that they obtained Aadhar Card details of the children’s parents from their mobile phones and contacted them. They also reached out to their counterparts in Tripura.

The Tripura CWC officials verified that the two were missing from their home. Following this, they deputed two officials, accompanied by a relative of the teenage girl, to Chennai to bring them back to Tripura.

“Once they come back we will be counselling the children and their families and focus on their education,” a Tripura official told TOI.