Former local lawmaker detained for alleged child molestation

A former lawmaker in northwest China's Shaanxi province has been detained for allegedly molesting a teenage girl, local police said Thursday.

In a recent prostitution crackdown, police in Weinan City discovered Zhang Zhihong, who is suspected of having sexual relations with a middle school girl in a hotel. At the time, Zhang was serving as deputy to the Weinan Municipal People's Congress, a local legislature. Zhang also serves as chairman of a local automobile sales company.

The standing committee of the Weinan Municipal People's Congress suspended Zhang's lawmaker post on Aug. 16. Weinan police detained him the next day.

A string of child molestation cases involving school principals and officials across China has been exposed this year.

In a separate case, Li Xiaobin, an official from a local work safety administration in east China's Jiangsu province, was arrested by local police on Aug. 18 and later confessed to raping a middle school girl.