Beijing tight-lipped on missing Interpol chief

China remained silent yesterday over the disappearance of the head of Interpol, deepening the mystery over the international police chief’s fate after reports said he was detained for questioning on arrival in his homeland.

Meng Hongwei, 64, was last seen leaving for China in late September from the Interpol headquarters in Lyon, southeast France, a source close to the inquiry told journalists. His wife has since reported him missing.

It is the latest high-profile disappearance in China, where a number of top government officials, billionaire business magnates and even an A-list celebrity have vanished for weeks or months at a time.

Beijing has so far said nothing on Meng’s case. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment from journalists. But news of his absence was swiftly followed by speculation that Meng — who also serves as a vice-minister of China’s Ministry of Public Security — had been swept up in Beijing’s secretive anticorruption campaign.

Citing an anonymous source, the South China Morning Post said authorities from the country’s disciplinary commission had snatched Meng upon arrival in Beijing.