Chinese-Canadian pop star Kris Wu detained by Beijing police on suspicion of rape

• Beijing police detained Kris Wu on suspicion of rape, the Associated Press reported.
• A 19-year-old former fan accused Wu, 30, of sexually abusing her when she was 17.
• Brands like Bulgari and Louis Vuitton have dropped Wu as a result of the allegations.

Chinese-Canadian pop star Kris Wu on Saturday was detained on suspicion of rape following allegations that he deceived young women into having sex with him, according to a report from the Associated Press.

Wu, also known as Wu Yifan, was detained by Beijing police "in response to relevant information reported on the internet," including that he "repeatedly lured young women into having sexual relations," according to the Associated Press.

In July, a 19-year-old student named Du Meizhu accused the 30-year-old of manipulating her into sex when she was 17, according to a report from the AP.

Du said she met with Wu for a career opportunity but alleged that his staff pressured her to drink, Du said in an interview with the Chinese website, NetEase, the AP reported. Du told NetEase she had a low tolerance, so she became inebriated after two drinks and later woke up in Wu's bed after losing consciousness, the AP reported.

Du said that's when her relationship with Wu began, but in March he stopped returning her messages, NetEase reported, according to the AP. Du added in the NetEase interview that she initially felt sorry for herself, but learned that other women had been treated similarly.

Du said in the interview with NetEase that Wu paid her $77,000 (500,000 Chinese yuan) to "keep quiet" about the incident. She also said that seven other women had contacted her to say Wu seduced them under the guise of potential jobs and opportunities, the AP reported. Some of the women said they were under 18 but did not indicate if they were younger than China's age of consent of 14, AP reported.

Wu denied the allegations and maintained his innocence when he released a statement in July.

"There was no 'groupie sex'! There was no 'underage'!" Wu wrote on social media, the AP reported. "If there were this kind of thing, please everyone relax, I would put myself in jail!"

Meizhu and Wu both asked authorities to investigate the matter, according to the AP.

Wu rose to fame as a member of the prominent K-pop group, EXO, which debuted in 2012, as Insider's Kieran Press-Reynolds and Palmer Haasch previously reported. The Korea Herald reported that Wu left the group in 2014 after filing a lawsuit against SM Entertainment for allegedly treating him like a "machine part." He later emerged as one of China's biggest stars with a singing, modeling, and acting career.

In July, following Du's allegation that Wu had sexually assaulted her, brands like Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Porsche, and Tencent ended their partnerships with Wu.

A representative for Wu did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.