MADINAH: Ten girls, complaining of mistreatment, absconded from an orphanage in Madinah and took refuge at another shelter where they had previously lived, Al-Watan newspaper reported yesterday.
A police search was launched after supervisors from the Charitable Society for the Sponsorship of Orphans informed police about the girls’ disappearance.
The girls disappeared after excusing themselves from classes by pretending to be sick or tired. They then left the orphanage at a time when the supervisors’ attention was turned.
Hala Ajdi, a supervisor at the orphanage, said she had no option but to report the matter to the police.
“The girls are orphans. They had no relatives to go to. We feared there might be some foul play behind their disappearance,” she added.
While the security agencies were busy searching for the missing orphans, a guard at another shelter home, which was closed at the time, informed police of suspicious movement on the premises and expressed his suspicion that there may be thieves hiding inside. On searching the building, police discovered the missing girls.
The girls complained about mistreatment at the orphanage and expressed a desire to remain at the shelter where they had previously been accommodated.
The girls were, however, sent back to the orphanage after orphanage officials promised that they would look into the girls’ complaints and consider their demands.
