HK dead baby's mother faked abduction claims

A woman in Hong Kong was arrested by police on Monday night for allegedly faking the kidnapping of her six-month baby girl, whom she later claimed had actually "accidentally" died at home.

The 31-year-old mother surnamed Wu was accused of preventing the legal disposal of a corpse, said the Hong Kong police in a statement e-mailed to the Global Times on Tuesday, adding that they believe the case does not involve child trafficking.

The city joined in a search for the missing baby after the mother told the police that a middle-aged woman "with a mainland accent" and an accomplice had abducted her baby Yu Kaiqing in the streets on November 23.

The woman pretended to ask her the way to a subway station when Wu was walking the baby in a pram, then the accomplice stole the baby, Wu told the police later that day.

Hong Kong media said the baby was likely to have suffocated to death on November 17 and her body was dumped in the dustbin by the helpless mother.

Earlier reports about the imaginary mainland abductors had caused a panic among the Hong Kong residents, fueling the existing spate of distaste toward mainlanders in Hong Kong.

Li Dongguo, the head of Hong Kong's Security Bureau, was quoted by the local Sing Pao Daily News on Saturday as saying the city has seen seven child trafficking cases in the past 10 years, in which all the babies were recovered and did not involve mainlanders.

The arrest of Wu has triggered outrage among Hong Kong residents and mainlanders online. Some criticized her for worsening relations between Hong Kong and the mainland.

The mother will be questioned at Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts.