Malappuram: Two girls who went missing from Malappuram’s Tanur were located in Mumbai on Thursday night. The Railway Police Force (RPF) took them into custody from the Chennai Egmore train in Lonavala and shifted them to a care home in Pune around 3 am on Friday.

RPF officials took the girls for a medical examination before transferring them to the care home. Manorama News reported that a team from the Tanur police will head to Pune to bring the girls back home. However, an offiical at Tanur police station told Onmanorama that they are yet to decide on the procedures to bring the girls back home. He added that reason behind the girl's decision to leave for Mumbai would be ascertained only after taking their statement.

Police have yet to confirm the reason behind the girls’ decision to leave for Mumbai. The 16-year-old girls went missing from  their houses in Tanur on Wednesday.

According to police, visuals from a salon in Mumbai played a crucial role in tracing the two students. Later, police launched a search by tracking their mobile phone’s location, successfully tracing them in the northern state.

Rahim Aslam (23), a native of Edavanna, also accompanied the girls on the train to Mumbai. Aslam’s family members told police that he went to Mumbai at the request of one of the girls. It is believed that the youth got acquainted with this girl through Instagram.

“She had told him that she would leave for Mumbai due to problems with her family. Though he tried to block her, she did not listen to his words. Following this, he decided to go with them,” said a family member of Aslam.

Police will interrogate Aslam to confirm the reason behind the girls’ exit from home.

After reaching Mumbai on Thursday, the girls visited Lasea Salon for a haircut around 2 pm. According to the salon staff, the duo had covered their faces. As they did not know Hindi or English, a Malayali staff member assisted them.

“They wanted a makeover by straightening their hair and changing their look. They also opted to trim their long hair. They refused to give their phone numbers, claiming that they had lost their phones,” said a salon staff member.

According to the Salon staff, both girls had plenty of money, as they paid for treatments worth Rs 10,000. The girls told the staff that they were going to Panvel to attend a friend’s wedding. The duo managed to leave the salon quickly when the staff continued to inquire about their whereabouts. The salon staff later confirmed the identity of the girls when police arrived in search of them.