As many as eight traffickers were arrested from Secunderabad railway station on Thursday, May 25, by the Telangana Police in Hyderabad. 

According to a PTI report, 26 children from Jharkhand and West Bengal were brought to Hyderabad, allegedly to work as labourers and were later rescued by the police.  According to the information received, the children aged between 13 and 18 were travelling with the "traffickers" on the East Coast Express en route from Vijayawada to Secunderabad.

The rescue operation was carried out by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of Women Safety Wing on Wednesday, May 23, in which teams from GRP (Government Railway Police) and RPF (Railway Protection Force) Secunderabad along with an NGO--Bachpan Bachao Andolan participated, an official release said as per PTI.

The accused who belonged to the states of West Bengal and Jharkhand had confessed to the police that they were bringing these children to Hyderabad to employ them as labourers. 

A case under IPC section 374 (unlawfully compelling any person to labour against will) was registered at the GRP Police Station in Secunderabad and further investigation is under progress, it said.

The release statement added the children were produced before the Child Welfare Committee, who had directed the police, later on, to provide the boys with a shelter at the Government Home for Boys.