A woman tricked a six-year-old boy into going into a field, then removed his eyeballs, police in China say.

The boy's brutal ordeal happened on Saturday in a rural area of Linfen city in Shanxi province, the city's police bureau said.

A police officer confirmed that the boy's eyeballs had been removed. The officer, who only gave his surname, Liu, said he could not speculate on a motive because the investigation was continuing. "We are sparing no efforts trying to solve this case," he added.

Liu said the two eyeballs were found at the scene, and that the corneas had not been removed. State media previously raised the possibility that the boy's corneas were taken for sale because of a donor shortage in China.

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