Interpol chief gone missing after travelling to China

French police have opened an investigation into the whereabouts of Meng Hongwei, the president of international police cooperation agency Interpol, after his wife reported he had gone missing after travelling home to his native China last week.

The French judicial official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to an ongoing investigation, said Meng Hongwei’s wife reported him missing on Friday.The official said the Interpol chief left Lyon, France, where the international police organisation is based, and arrived in China at the end of September. She said there had been no news of him since.

INTERPOL , in a statement said that it is aware of media reports in connection with the alleged disappearance of INTERPOL President Meng Hongwei.

This is a matter for the relevant authorities in both France and China. The Secretary General is the Organization’s full time official responsible for the day to day running of INTERPOL.

INTERPOL’s General Secretariat headquarters will not comment further.

The 64-year-old Meng Hongwei was elected president of Interpol in November 2016. His term is due to run until 2020.A vice minister of public security in China, he previously served as vice chairman of the national narcotics control commission and director of the National Counter-Terrorism Office for China.