A mother in China allegedly faked the abduction of her baby in a plot to reunite him with his biological father.

On Thursday, police in the city of Zhoukou, Henan province, made a public appeal for information after receiving reports that a four-month-old was snatched from his mother when she fainted near a park.

Detectives released CCTV footage which allegedly showed a suspect pushing the baby away from the scene in a buggy and offered a 50,000 yuan (£5,700) reward for information.

The case attracted widespread media coverage and sparked a nationwide effort to find the child.

But after investigating, officers reportedly could not find a suspect or any evidence of an abduction.

In a statement on Sunday, police revealed the child had been “safely retrieved” in Zhengzhou city, more than 124 miles from where he was taken, and was in “good health”.

Police reportedly claimed that the child’s mother, with the help of others, orchestrated the abduction because of family issues, according to the South China Morning Post.

Local media reports claim that the baby’s biological father was his mother’s old school friend, whom she had an affair with.

The pair are alleged to have devised a plan for the baby to be taken to a family member’s home and later reunited with his biological father, according to local media.