Chinese-Canadian pop star Kris Wu has been arrested on suspicion of rape.
Officers in Beijing said the investigation centred on online allegations that the star, 30, had “deceived young women multiple times into having sexual relations”, reports BBC.
The first accusation came early this month when a woman said he had assaulted her while she was drunk.
According to the Vancouver Sun, the official People’s Daily newspaper posted on its Weibo social media account late Saturday that Wu Yifan, Kris Wu’s Chinese name, had been detained. It also reposted a notice from the police in Beijing’s Chaoyang district that said a 30-year-old Canadian man surnamed Wu had been detained on suspicion of rape, after multiple women made allegations.
Wu, one of China’s biggest celebrities, has denied all the allegations of assault.
Du Meizhu, a 19-year-old student, who posted on social media that she had met Wu when she was 17, was the first to accuse him.
She said she had been invited to a party at his home, where she was pressured to drink alcohol and woke up in his bed the next day.
Du said seven other women had told her Wu had seduced them with promises of jobs and other opportunities. She said some were minors.
At least 24 more women have since come forward alleging inappropriate behaviour.
Wu, who went to high school in Vancouver, rose to stardom at age 18 when he joined South Korean-Chinese boy band Exo.
Already, Wu has lost endorsement and other deals with at least 10 brands including Porsche and Bulgari after the accusation.
