Henan police have arrested an elementary school teacher after she allegedly kidnapped and killed one of her students on Friday in Suiping County, Xinhua news agency reported today.

The suspect, Liang Hongya, 29, owes more than 100,000 yuan (US$13,986) in gambling debts and kidnapped the student in order to demand a ransom and repay the money, police said. She confessed her crime and was sent to a procuratorate for charges, the report said, citing police.

Police also arrested Yu Lianhe, Liang's brother-in-law, as a suspect for conspiring to kidnap.

Liang led Yuan Shiwei, one of her students from a wealthy family, to her home on Friday morning and tricked the third-grade girl into taking a sleeping pill, the report said, citing police.

Liang covered Yuan's mouth with her hands and suffocated her after the girl did not fall asleep and began to cry loudly, the report said. She sealed Yuan's mouth and nose after she had died and returned to school, the report added.

Police found Yuan's body in Liang's home that afternoon after they received a call from Liang's parents at 12pm, saying their daughter was missing after they sent her to school in the morning.

(Shanghai Daily, March 12, 2008)