Five girls from Bally in Howrah, who went missing on Tuesday afternoon, were found at Labhpur in Birbhum district on Tuesday night.

The girls — aged between 12 and 14 years — told police they fled as they were frequently scolded by their parents for not paying attention to their studies. One of the girls said she was upset as her parents would quarrel about her school and tuition fees, said an officer.

The police said the students of Durgapur Pallimangal School were found loitering near a police outpost in Abadanga. An officer of Bally police station accompanied the girls’ parents to Labhpur to bring them back.

The girls were brought back on Wednesday night. An officer said the girls had given contradictory statements.

The girls told the cops they had planned to meet near Bally station at 6am. They said they walked to Dakshineswar and took a train to Dankuni. They then went to Amodpur after changing trains at Burdwan station. “They claimed they walked to Abadanga from Amodpur station, a distance of 20km, which is impossible,” said an officer.