Kris Wu, a Chinese-Canadian music artist, has been detained on suspicion of rape.
The probe was centred on internet allegations that the singer, 30, had “deceived young women many times into having sexual encounters,” according to Beijing police.
The first charge came from a lady who claimed he assaulted her while she was inebriated earlier this month. Mr Wu, one of China’s most famous figures, has denied all assault charges.
Du Meizhu, a 19-year-old student, was the first to accuse him, posting on social media that she had met Mr Wu when she was 17.
She claimed she was invited to a party at his house, where she was forced to drink alcohol and awoke the next day in his bed.
Mr Wu allegedly enticed seven more women with offers of jobs and other changes, according to Ms Du. Some of them, she said, were minors. Since then, at least 24 more women have come forward to accuse him of inappropriate behaviour.
Mr Wu has denied supplying Ms Du with alcohol, as well as other charges that he lured girls to have sex in exchange for advantages, raped females while they were unconscious, and engaged in sexual activity with minors. Minors under the age of 18 are considered minors in China, but the age of sexual consent is 14.
“There was no such thing as ‘groupie sex!'” After the claims were made, he wrote on his social media account, “There was no ‘underage!'”
“Please everyone rest, if there was something like this, I would put myself in jail!” Ms Du is being sued for defamation by his lawyers.
The event occurs as awareness of gender-based violence in China has expanded, driven by the #MeToo movement in 2018, which saw women speak out about their sexual harassment experiences, which sometimes involved high-profile figures.
Mr Wu rose to prominence as a member of the Korean boyband EXO. In 2014, he quit to pursue a successful solo career as a singer, actor, model, and judge on talent shows.
