Beijing Child-Abuse Arrests Go Viral, Roil School Operator RYB
- 22-year-old teacher now under ‘criminal detention,’ police say
- Parents say they’ve found needle marks on their children
A security guard stands behind the gate of the RYB Education New World kindergarten in Beijing on Nov. 24.
Photographer: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty ImagesRYB Education Inc. said it fired a teacher at a Beijing kindergarten and removed the principal on Saturday after claims of child abuse sent shares of the school operator plunging in New York and spurred reactions ranging from dismay to fury on Chinese social media.
The 22-year-old female teacher, surnamed Liu, was under “criminal detention” on Saturday on suspicions of abuse as the investigation continues, the Chaoyang District police said. A 31-year-old woman was also held after she admitted fabricating and spreading false information online that the children were molested by people in the military, according to a separate Weibo statement.