A police operation was launched after a woman reportedly took a seven-day-old baby from a hospital room in Germany. The newborn was allegedly taken from a neonatal ward at Lüdenscheid Hospital in North Rhine-Westphalia after the suspect posed as a member of staff on Saturday afternoon.

Police said the woman, who was wearing a light blue coat, entered the mother's room at around 3.15pm and told the family she was taking the baby for a routine examination before leaving with the infant. The hospital later reported the baby missing, triggering a major search operation. At around 4.10pm, witnesses found the seven-day-old boy naked but unharmed in a stairwell of a nearby parking garage, close to a ticket machine, around an eight-minute drive from the hospital. An ambulance returned the baby to hospital, where police said he is doing well. Officers cordoned off parts of the parking garage while forensic examinations were carried out. Detectives have also reviewed CCTV footage and deployed a sniffer dog as part of the investigation.

Police are searching for a woman believed to be between her mid-20s and early 30s, around 175cm to 180cm (5ft 9in to 5ft 11in) tall and very slim.

She is described as having blonde hair that may have been tied in a braid, wearing large glasses and carrying a drak shoulder bag.

The baby's family reportedly did not recognise the woman.

Police said the motive remains unclear and have appealed for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward as enquiries continue.

According to German publication BILD, Police are investigating the incident as a case of child abduction and a tracking dog is also being used in the operation.

The news outlet reports that an amublance took the infant back to the hospital and is currently doing well.