Singer and actor Kris Wu, a pop star in China , has been arrested on suspicion of rape , Chinese police announced on Saturday (31). Last week, a 19-year-old Chinese student accused the artist, who holds Canadian citizenship, of raping her when she was 17.
The accusations caused a stir in the media and a wave of disapproval on Chinese social media.
"Wu Yifan, a 30-year-old Canadian citizen, is currently detained for felony in accordance with the law by the Chaoyang (district) section of the Beijing police on suspicion of rape," security forces reported on the Chinese social network Weibo, citing the Chinese name of Kris Wu.
Police say they opened an investigation after Internet users accused him of "having tricked young people into having sex on multiple occasions".
Kris Wu is a former member of the Sino-South Korean K-pop group EXO, which he left in 2014 to start a solo career as an actor, singer, model and variety show judge.
Student Du Meizhu accused the pop singer of raping her during a date when she was 17. She gave the singer an ultimatum to leave showbusiness and apologize - otherwise, she would give details of the assault.
Kris Wu denies the allegations. After the uproar caused by the scandal, brands such as Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, L'Oreal and Porsche, with which he collaborated, suspended their contracts with the singer last week.
His lawyers have sued Du for defamation and the student claims to have filed legal action against Wu.