Kottayam: Nine girl inmates who fled a shelter home here in Manganam were traced just hours after they were reported missing.

They were found at the house of one of the girl's relative in Elanji near Koothattukulam.

It was on Monday morning that the girls ran away from a shelter run by NGO Mahila Samakhya, accredited under the State Social Justice Department and the Child Welfare Committee (CWC).

The authorities discovered that the girls were missing on reaching their rooms to awake them at 5.30 am.

A case was registered with Kottayam East Police shortly after.

The girls, all survivors in crimes registered under the POCSO Act, had been protesting for the past few days saying they wanted to leave the shelter home.

But they cannot be allowed to leave until special permission is granted by the CWC and the court, a senior official said.