Man arrested for fake postings on overseas sites

A man suspected of fabricating stories on overseas websites has been detained in Beijing, the municipal public security bureau said on Tuesday.

Xiang Nanfu, whose online name is Fei Xiang and is suspected of making up many stories that spread quickly on overseas websites, was arrested on May 2, the bureau said, adding that such behavior damages China's image and causes a negative influence.

Beijing police said since January last year, they found Fei Xiang posted on the overseas website, Bo Xun, saying the Chinese government buried people alive and harvested body organs.

Xiang also posted on the website that thousands of Chinese police violently expropriated land and beat a pregnant woman to death, the bureau said, adding that the fake information was quickly disseminated on other oversea websites.

The website Bo Xun has allegedly spread fake news for a long time and often broadcasts negative messages about China, according to the police investigation.

Xiang confessed to the police that he made up the stories because he was unhappy with the compensation he received when his house was demolished and confirmed that he posted the information using the identity of a senior journalist, the bureau said.

He had fabricated information discrediting the Chinese government since 2009 and provided the stories to the website through a man surnamed Wei, according to the bureau.

In 2013 alone, the suspect posted more than 1,300 stories on the website, for which he could earn about $1,000 each month, the police said, adding the man allegedly used the money to pay prostitutes.

Xiang, a divorced 62-year-old Beijing resident, had previously been sentenced to nine years in prison for theft, the police added.