The police in Beijing have detained three women for spreading online falsities related to the cause of death of Chinese actor Yu Menglong.
The 37-year-old fell from a residential building in Beijing, China, on Sept 11, which sparked widespread speculation and conspiracy theories online.
His management team posted a statement from Yu’s mother on Chinese social media platform Weibo on Sept 16, who said that he accidentally fell from height after drinking alcohol and that the police had informed her of the findings of the investigation.
The cause of death was also confirmed in a notice posted on the official Weibo account of the Chaoyang branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau on Sept 21.
“However, certain individuals fabricated and disseminated false information online to attract attention and boost traffic, splicing together fabricated videos that severely disrupted public order,” said the notice. “The police have initiated an investigation in accordance with the law.”
The Chaoyang police said one of the women taken into custody is a 40-year-old with the surname Zheng.
The netizen, after seeing online reports of Yu’s death, alleged “a big shot tried to take advantage of him, the henchmen set him up, he was forced into drinking and assaulted, then leaped to his death in despair” and posted this on an online forum.
The second woman being detained is a 29-year-old with the surname Yuan, according to the police notice. She posted falsities across multiple online platforms, claiming Yu was “hung from a high-rise building, had his fingernails pulled out and his abdomen cut open before being thrown from the building”.
The third woman is a 41-year-old with the surname Xu. She alleged “the surveillance footage was deliberately destroyed, a powerful force was behind the action, and now, the actions of Yu’s mother and sister are being restricted”.
The notice said the three individuals have admitted to fabricating the rumours, adding that the police launched an investigation immediately after Yu’s accidental fall following alcohol consumption.
Criminal suspicion was ruled out by the police after an on-site examination, forensic tests, reviews of surveillance footage and interviews. The family was also informed of the investigation findings, according to the notice. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
