A woman from Fuzhou, Fujian province, died after being taken away by officers of the railway police authority, and bruises were found on her body, xinhuanet.com reported on Thursday.

The 59-year-old woman, surnamed Pan, was taken on Tuesday at noon by three police officers who said they suspected Pan of illegally trading train tickets. Pan was taken from the home of her daughter, surnamed Wei, after the police searched Wei's home.

Wei said the last time she saw her mother was at 6:30 pm at the Fuzhou railway police station, when her mother was being taken by police to a local railway detention center.

However, at 9:30 pm, Wei was told by a policeman that her mother was in critical condition in a local hospital.

By the time Wei reached the hospital, Pan had died. The daughter said there were clear bruises on Pan's body.

The daughter said Pan was a retiree and took care of her grandchildren every day. She does not believe her mother was involved in ticket scalping and questioned the cause of her mother's death.

The railway police said they will make an announcement at the proper time but refused to comment more on the subject at present.