Beijing probing 'missing' Chinese head of Interpol: Report

Beijing probing 'missing' Chinese head of Interpol: Report

President of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) Meng Hongwei. (Xinhua/Zhang Xuefei/IANS)

By Gaurav Sharma

Beijing, Oct 5 (IANS) Meng Hongwei, the Chinese president of Interpol, who was reported missing is under probe in China, says a report.

Meng, who is also the Vice Minister of China's Ministry of Public Security, was reported to be missing as his wife told the French police that she had not heard from him since he left the country a week ago.

Even though France has launched a probe into his disappearance; the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post quoted a source that Meng is under investigation in China.

The 64-year-old official was "taken away" for questioning by discipline authorities "as soon as he landed in China" last week, the source was quoted as saying.

Meng was appointed in 2016 as the head of Interpol -- an international police agency. He was due to serve until 2020.

Meng was last seen in France on September 29, police sources said.

While Meng is listed on the website of China's Ministry of Public Security as a Vice Minister, he lost his seat on its Communist Party Committee, its real decision-making body, in April, the Post said.

According to his own page on the site, Meng's last official engagement was on August 23, when he met Lai Chung Han, a second permanent secretary of Singapore.

(Gaurav Sharma can be reached at [e-mail])

--IANS

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