Three detained in Beijing for ‘spreading rumours’ about famous actress Tong Liya and senior Chinese official
- A post went viral in mid-December that the famous actress had married a top Chinese official
- It was heavily censored and three people were detained for “bragging and showing off”
Beijing police announced on Wednesday that three people had been detained for allegedly spreading a rumour that famous Chinese actress Tong Liya, 38, and a senior mainland official had recently married.
The three suspects included two men, one surnamed Wei, 35, and another surnamed Tang, 36. A 43-year-old woman surnamed Zhou was also detained.
Beijing police said they had been held for fabricating and spreading the rumour with the intention of “bragging and showing off” and said the story had “caused vicious social impacts”.
Tong’s Shanghai-based studio denied the gossip in a Wednesday statement, saying it is “completely groundless and is malicious slander”.
“Ms Tong Liya is now divorced and single and has not done anything immoral,” the statement read.