Wang Lijun, Crime Fighter, Is Said to Have Tried to Defect

Wang Lijun, the deputy mayor of Chongqing, attended a conference in the city on Jan. 7. Chongqing authorities said in a statement that Mr. Wang had taken sick leave. Reuters.

By Ian Johnson, Feb 8, 2012 — BEIJING — In a sign that China’s political season is heating up, reports circulated widely on Wednesday that one of the country’s most famous crime fighters had tried to defect to the United States.

The reports were impossible to confirm, but China’s social media were filled with speculation about the fate of Wang Lijun, a onetime rising star in the western megacity of Chongqing, where he had been the deputy mayor overseeing public security. . . .

Wang Lijun, Crime Fighter, Is Said to Have Tried to Defect – NYTimes.com