Yunnan police sued after duped victim branded suicide bomber
Public security chief staked his career on young father having set off blast in resettlement office
The family of a man duped into carrying a rucksack which contained explosives is taking the unusual step of suing the police for branding the 26-year-old a suicide bomber after a blast in Yunnan in May which left him and three others dead.
The family of Zhao Dengyong is seeking two million yuan (HK$2.45 million) in compensation and an official apology from the local public security bureau following the May 10 blast at a Qiaojia county office being used to arrange land resettlement.
Less than 24 hours after the explosion, county police chief Yang Chaobang described Zhao (pictured) as an extremist and a sociopath. After doubts about Zhao's involvement surfaced, Yang told a news conference he would stake his career on the young father's guilt.
Last month, however, the police arrested two men who they said had paid the labourer 100 yuan to carry the backpack into the office - a backpack that he did not know was filled with explosives. It was detonated by mobile phone, the police said.
Police from Zhaotong , the city that oversees Qiaojia county, apologised to Zhao's family. The agency said allegations against him were "based on an investigation that was neither thorough nor accurate, which misled the public and brought great distress to Zhao Dengyong's family".
Qiaojia police have so far remained silent.