Internet celebrity accused of extortion

CHANGSHA - Chinese police have detained a man who they say confessed and expressed remorse for using his influence on social media to extort money.

Police in Hunan province said they had launched a criminal investigation into Chen Jieren, director of the board of Beijing Hualin Management and Consulting Co, for allegations including extortion and illegal business operations.

Chen was a self-proclaimed internet celebrity who built a massive following on Chinese social media, the police said. Investigators found that he had published more than 3,000 disturbing articles - clickbait and verbal attacks, for instance - and engaged in illegal activities such as blackmail. They said he had accumulated tens of millions of yuan over the years.