Elite police unit to probe former head of China's security services Reports about a potentially destabilising investigation into Mr Zhou first surfaced in late August, just days after Bo Xilai, a longtime ally, had gone on trial in the wake of the Neil Heywood scandal. The South China Morning Post claimed senior Communist leaders had approved the move during a secretive annual gathering in the seaside resort of Beidaihe. Almost a dozen influential business people and politicians linked to Mr Zhou are believed to have been detained in recent months, among them Jiang Jiemin, the former chairman of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). Earlier this month the Financial Times reported that his son, Zhou Bin, had been "detained for questioning" while his wife had "fled" to the United States with their two children. The creation of a special police unit to investigate Mr Zhou was an "unusual" move that reflected "not only the sensitivity of Zhou's case but also Xi's personal interest in it," the South China Morning Post said. However, so far there has been no official confirmation of any investigation into Mr Zhou. Mr Fu, the Beijing police chief, is a forensic expert who has been a member of the Communist Party since 1973, according to an official profile. He made headlines in 2010 after launching a high-profile anti-vice raid on a Beijing nightclub where senior Communist Party officials and well-heeled businessmen reportedly blew small fortunes on liquor and prostitutes. At the time state media praised the dismantling of a club notorious for its "powerful bosses, gorgeous escort girls, mysterious guests [and] luxurious décor." Just to chat up an escort girl was said to cost at least 1,000 yuan (around £100). Obviously, this is not a place that most Beijingers could afford," the Global Times reported.