Homesickness drove these children to flee David Sassoon Industrial School in Mahim. Of the 10 who fled the children’s shelter last Friday, two have been traced to their homes. The teenagers told the police that all they wanted was to see their families and live with them.

Authorities found out that the boys had escaped during the evening head count. “We registered a missing persons complaint and with the help of the children’s records, we launched a search for them. Two of them, both under 17, were traced on Monday evening to their homes in Malwani and Sion. They said they missed their mothers and siblings. They had been at the children’s home for over five months,” said an officer at the Shivaji Park police station.