The five minor girls aged between eight and 13 studied in the upper primary school of Shikhapur on the outskirts of Cuttack city. The restraints imposed by their parents curtailed their freedom to play and study together. So, out of frustration they ran away from their homes this Friday, police said.

After leaving their homes, the minors requested an auto rickshaw driver, friend of one of the girl's brother, to drop them at a friend's place near Bhubaneswar railway station. Not suspecting their intentions, the driver obliged.

They were in dire straits once they reached Bhubaneswar. Neither they had money to buy food nor the faintest idea as to where to spend the night. Then they approached the priest of a roadside temple for help. When the girls pleaded before the priest that they couldn't afford to goto their relative's place at such an odd hour, he allowed them to stay in the temple for the night. He, however, smelt a rat and informed the locals about them.

When it was brought to the notice of the police yesterday, they took the juveniles into custody and soon intimated their parents.

The young girls confessed before the police that they had planned to board a train from Bhubaneswar to a far off place.