Beijing investigates death in police custody of new father

Beijing prosecutors said Wednesday they were investigating the death in police custody of a young college graduate and new father who had been picked up on suspicion of visiting prostitutes, the latest development in a case that has highlighted public complaints about police abuses.

Lei Yang’s family had filed a report with the capital’s prosecutors over his death last month in the capital’s suburban northwestern district of Changping.

The main prosecutors’ office in Beijing said in an online statement that it was investigating five police officers in relation to Lei’s death.

According to media reports, Lei was detained on May 7 outside a massage parlour as part of crackdown on prostitution. His family says Lei was on his way to the airport to pick up relatives when he was stopped by the officers.

The case has been covered extensively in state-run newspapers and prompted a huge outpouring on social media sites in China, where police enjoy broad powers to detain suspects and violent treatment is common.

According to media reports, Lei, 29, had graduated with a degree in environmental science from the capital’s prestigious Renmin University and had a daughter just weeks old.

Lei’s wife was alerted to his disappearance after relatives waiting for him at the airport called to say he had not shown up. She made more than 40 calls attempting to find Lei, but it wasn’t until after midnight that police called the family asking them to go to the police station, where they were informed of his death.

A day later, police released a short statement online saying Lei had been detained for visiting prostitutes, but died suddenly on the way to the police station. Lei’s family has publicly questioned that account.