A woman disguises herself as a nurse to kidnap a newborn from the maternity ward in Spain

The unidentified woman cheekily told staff that she was going to do blood tests with the baby in her arms, before fleeing the scene and leaving the baby on the doorstep

Local media report that the newborn was found on a doormat (

Image: Newsflash)

A newborn baby was abducted from a hospital in Spain by a woman dressed in a nurse's gown, police said.

The unnamed 24-year-old woman, accused of kidnapping a newborn baby in Bilbao, northern Spain, on Wednesday night was arrested after being caught on CCTV wandering the halls.

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The woman cheekily told staff she was going to take blood tests with the baby in her arms, Basque regional government security chief Josu Erkoreka told reporters.

According to the local police, the baby was found in the Santutxu district of Bilbao and is in good health despite this painful ordeal.

The unidentified woman, 24, walking down the street in Bilbao, Spain (

Picture:

news flash)

Local media report that the newborn was found on the doormat of an eighth-floor building in Plaza de El Carmen de Santutxu.

"I was preparing breakfast when the doorbell rang. I looked through the peephole but saw no one. I opened the door and there he was, lying down on the carpet.

"I got emotional, thinking, 'poor parents and poor child.'" said a local resident who made the discovery.

The head of the Basque health department, Gotzone Sagardui, said the hospital's patient safety committee would investigate what appeared to be an isolated security breach.