KATHMANDU: Sparsely clad in battered clothes, two street children emerged out of a sparsely lit Thamel lane. They appeared drunk and merry.

“We are dons and heroes," they said, as they huddled up in the corner. They smelt marijuana and hashish when this correspondent approached them.

"We know where to get drugs and girls," said the kids, who identified themselves as Syringe and Don.

Later, it became apparently clear that the 11-year-old Anish has been rechristened as Syringe and Rakesh (13) as Don.

"We are not street children but Dons and Heroes. We know what each individual does here," they said, sounding playful. "Street children pose a serious threat to the society. They can end up being hard-core criminals if we don't rehabilitate them," said Ramesh Chand Thakuri, Inspector General of Police.

It comes as a shocking incident that children at so tender an young age are already indulged in drugs, prostitution and theft, he said. "During the day, we beg and lull to sleep. But our real enjoyment starts when darkness falls," remarked Don. "We earn by taking customers to drugs and girls," he added.

"These children make plenty of money but don't save any. We've found that teenagers are involved in criminal activities," said Biso Bajracharya, executive director, Sath Sath, an NGO working for street children.

"They cannot abandon street life since it gives them freedom and easy earning,” he added.

Ramesh Sunuwar, a taxi driver, said the street urchins often stopped people at night and robbed them.

“They know tactics how to rob,” he added.