A Chinese police officer Photo: Xinhua

A person surnamed Lü has been taken into custody by the public security bureau in Jinzhong of North China’s Shanxi Province, after the person fabricated an accusation and posted it online claiming that Zheng Qiang, Party secretary of Taiyuan University of Technology, had an extramarital affair and kept a mistress, according to a police release on Thursday.

Zheng, who is also a professor in the field of polymer science and engineering, became famous on social media for his insightful viewpoints, and many netizens nicknamed him “internet-famous school president.”

On October 10, a netizen named "Huaqu" posted an accusation online claiming that Zheng had an extramarital affair and kept a mistress. Later on October 12, Zheng issued a statement online, saying that "Huaqu" is a former prison inmate, and the content he released is all fabricated with the intention of extortion and blackmail. The case was reported to the police, Zheng said. 

On October 12, a sub-bureau of Jinzhong public security bureau received a report from Zheng, stating that he was defamed by others online. After investigation by the public security organs, it was found that the perpetrator was a person surnamed Lü, from Gansu Province, who was sentenced to five years in prison for illegal absorption of public deposits in 2018 and was released on November 30, 2022, the public security bureau said in a statement on Thursday.

On October 10, 2023, Lü posted false information about Zheng on the internet to achieve personal illegal purposes, which caused a large number of reposts and comments, seriously damaging Zheng's reputation and causing a negative social impact. 

Currently, Lü has been taken into custody by the public security organs on suspicion of committing a crime, and the case is under further investigation, said the statement.

Global Times