Shanghai | Billionaire reportedly arrested over child molestation

Prosecutors in Shanghai have formally arrested two people over child molestation allegations, with state media identifying one as a prominent real estate developer.

The case has received prominent coverage in state media, including on national broadcaster CCTV yesterday, highlighting what is believed to be a widespread but underreported crime affecting millions of children in China.

A brief notice on the Shanghai prosecutor’s office’s microblog said the Putuo district branch had ordered the formal arrest Wednesday of two people, identified only by their surnames, Wang and Zhou.

The official Communist Party newspaper Global Times identified Wang as Wang Zhenhua, formerly chairman of Seazen, one of China’s largest developers. The company announced that Wang’s son Wang Xiaosong had been appointed chairman in his place after the father resigned “for personal reasons.”

That announcement came on the same day that Shanghai police reported Wang and Zhou had been detained and an investigation opened into allegations that a girl had been molested at a hotel in Shanghai. AP

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