Chinese man who ‘found’ newborn baby girl turns out to be her father

Police in eastern China spent hours trying to find the parents of an abandoned newborn baby girl, but eventually discovered that her father was the one who had brought her to a hospital, claiming he had found her, a news website reports.

The man took the baby, with umbilical cord still attached, to the Taizhou No 4 People’s Hospital in Jiangsu province late on Tuesday night, saying he had found her dumped outside in the grass, Thepaper.cn reported.

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Staff looking after the newborn at the hospital then decided to post an appeal on social media for the parents to come forward.

“She has some cuts but doesn’t cry much or make a fuss ... please, we appeal to your better nature – she’s waiting for you to take her home,” read the message written by the head of the emergency ward, which has been widely shared online.

After she was given the all-clear by doctors, the newborn was placed in the care of the city’s social welfare centre on Wednesday, according to the report.

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But on Thursday, Taizhou police finally found the baby girl’s father – the same man who said he had found her abandoned.

It is not known whether the man has been detained. In China, the punishment for abandoning a baby is up to five years in jail.