A woman who appeared to have been attacked and robbed after using an ATM in Nanjing may have invented the story and injured herself, police said on Tuesday.

Police were called after the woman was seen bleeding and calling for help by a roadside in the city's Gulou district. The woman, surnamed Yao, told them she had been attacked and robbed by two men after withdrawing money from an ATM, China News Service reported.

Yao suffered cuts to her throat and is in stable condition in hospital, the report said.

The case sparked anxiety as it followed similar attacks on young women in Ningbo and Suzhou.

However, a preliminary investigation suggests Yao, a migrant worker, spent 20,000 yuan buying lottery tickets and then caused the injuries to herself to avoid a family argument, police said. The investigation is continuing.