3 girls aged 13, 11 and 7 ran away from their home in Hingurakgoda in hopes of meeting the character "Shivanya" from the tele drama Prema Dadayama, The Morning learns. Speaking to The Morning today (01), Police Spokesperson SSP (Attorney at law) Nihal Thalduwa said that incidents as such have been on the rise, mainly with children trying to meet fictional characters or actors in hopes of achieving their dreams. "This is the 3rd incident like this that has happened within the last month alone. We have seen children run away from home to be dancing stars, and now this. The very young girls had left their homes in Hingurakgoda to meet their heroes. The girls had left the home early in the morning and had boarded a bus to Jaffna. In Jaffna, they had lost their way and had somehow returned back home in the evening. By then, the parents had lodged an entry at the Hingurakgoda police station. When the girls returned, the police had asked them why they had left home. It is then that the police learnt that these girls had left home to meet Shivanya," said Thalduwa. He further added that it was heartbreaking to learn how the girls thought process was. "The girls had planned it all out. They had taken a map of Sri Lanka and the world map and drawn their route. The plan was to get a bus to Jaffna, and because there was a small gap in between Jaffna and India, the girls thought they could walk from the Jaffna peninsula to India and somehow meet Shivanya. They have been addicted to watching this tele-drama called Prema Dadayama, and their aspiration was to meet the 3 lead characters of the tele-drama. According to them, they have watched the tele-drama repeatedly on youtube, on tv and even downloaded old episodes to watch over and over again," Thalduwa said. In conclusion, Thalduwa said that he is glad that the girls had returned back safely, but advised parents to monitor what children watch on tv and other electronic devices. "I cannot blame the children, they are young and have no idea about the world. Whereas, parents should monitor what their children watch and who they associate. Also, such dramas are not for young children. These things should not be shown to children. There is a reason why these dramas are put on late at night, it is because children should not be awake and watching these things. I advice parents to be more vigilant," he advised.