Police in central China have detained a man for holding six women as sex slaves in an underground prison for two years, killing two before one escaped and notified the authorities, Chinese media reported on Friday.
Retired firefighter Li Hao, 34, who worked at a local government office in Luoyang, Henan province, is accused of killing and burying two of the women in rooms he dug below his basement, the Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper reported.
Li, who was detained on Sept. 6, kidnapped the six nightclub and karaoke bar workers and repeatedly raped them, the newspaper reported, adding that he kept his victims weak to prevent them from escaping by feeding them only once every two days.
The report said Li allowed the women to leave the basement only when he was short on cash and would force them to have sex with other men for money. A 23-year-old woman escaped during one of those sessions and led police to the basement.
Li has a one-year-old son and a wife, who said she was unaware of the basement until her husband was detained, the newspaper said.
Police found two bodies buried in the basement prison and have released three of the victims. The fourth woman is being detained on suspicion that she helped Li to kill one of the women, a second report in the official English-language newspaper China Daily said.
