Runaway primary school pupils found in Guangzhou

Three Songjiang district primary school students have been found after running away to Guangzhou, Guangdong province, in a misguided attempt to make money, local media reported Tuesday.

The three boys, students of Hua Qiao Primary School, left home Saturday hoping to earn money so they could buy virtual items in a favorite video game, according to a report on the news website eastday.com.

The report did not explain why the boys chose to go to Guangzhou or what they planned to do there.

Police said one of the boys, who were not identified, stole his parents' bank card and withdrew 4,000 yuan ($656), which they used to buy train tickets to Guangzhou at Shanghai South Railway Station, according to the report. They spent Saturday night near the station and boarded the train the following afternoon.

Their parents called the police Sunday after the boys didn't return home. Police posted photos of the boys on its microblog and asked residents for help finding them.

On Monday, one of the boy's parents got a call from a stranger in Guangzhou who said that someone had found the boys wandering the streets in Baiyun district. The parents flew to the city that afternoon to pick them up.

One of the boy's teachers said that the three were addicted to video games.