When Childline officials in Malappuram walked into an apartment in Manjeri on Thursday, what they found was two minors fending for themselves. Acting on a tip-off, officials reached the apartment to find that a 15-year-old girl and her 12-year-old brother had been abandoned by their family.

The brother-sister duo had been living on their own for the past four months, after their grandmother, who had been taking care of them left in a huff, following a dispute with their mother.

M N Salih reports for Deccan Chronicle that while the children's father lives in Thiruvananthapuram with his second wife, their mother left for Dubai in search of work a few months ago.

However, the mother regularly sent them money for their expenses and was in touch with the children over phone, states the report.

The girl, a class 10 student studying at a government school in Manjeri, hadn't attended school for the past 11 days, as she was reportedly suffering from breathing problems.

Childlife officials who rescued the children told DC that there had been no signs of cooking in the house and that the sibling survived on snacks.

The children and their mother had relocated from Kollam to Manjeri a year ago, after the parents separated.

"We have contacted the mother, but attempts to contact their father and other relatives failed. All aspects of the case are being investigated and we will  rehabilitate them by roping in the Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam Child Protection Units,” district child protection officer Sameer Machingal was quoted as saying.

After the children were produced before the Child Welfare Committee, they were sent to two separate state homes.