Woman steals baby to keep boyfriend

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese woman who stole a baby in a desperate attempt to convince her boyfriend that she had borne a child has been jailed for 18 months, Xinhua news agency said Thursday.

The 36-year old woman, surnamed Liu, pretended to be pregnant after her prospective in-laws vetoed her marriage because a tumor in her womb had made her infertile.

Two days after entering the hospital in east China's Zhejiang province on her "due date," she stole a baby boy from the maternity ward while the mother was napping. She then called her boyfriend and asked him to take her home.

Liu turned herself into police two days later and the child was returned to his family. Her voluntary surrender ensured her a light sentence, Xinhua said.