Seven people, suspected of attacking and seriously injuring an elderly man in a property dispute, have been detained in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, local police said.

The suspects were allegedly hired by a real estate developer to force a local resident, surnamed Lu, 63, to abandon his home for to allow the construction of a property project, according to a statement from Zhuhai bureau of public security.

The incident took place when the seven suspects, with knives and wooden rods, entered Lu's home on Sunday.

After a fierce quarrel, Lu was attacked and suffered fractures and heavy loss of blood, the police statement said.

He was later rushed to a hospital for treatment.

After Lu's daughter sought police help, police immediately set up a special task force to investigate the case and detained the suspects within 30 hours of the attack.

Police said 10 people were suspected to have been involved and police are searching for the other suspects.