Seven people were arrested in Hyderabad for allegedly trafficking 26 children from different states and engaging them as labourers, police said on Tuesday. Based on information that children in the age group of 12 to 17 were detained and engaged as labourers, police teams conducted raids at various places on Monday and rescued 23 boys and three girls, they said.

The rescued children belong to Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Telangana, Rachakonda Commissioner of Police Mahesh M Bhagwat said. All the children were trafficked by the owners/accused. The children were detained in sheds located within the premises of their workshops--timber depots, furniture shops, hotels, vehicle mechanic shops and plastic scrap shops, he said.

The accused brought the children from different states after paying an informal amount to their parents, police said. Eight children from Telangana were counselled and handed over to their parents while the remaining children were sent to rehabilitation homes, they added.