BEIJING – The billionaire founder of the world’s biggest appliance manufacturer, Midea Group, was held hostage by intruders in his home in southern China but was rescued by police, news reports said Monday.Police received a call Sunday evening that intruders had broken into a home in Foshan, near Hong Kong, the Foshan police department said on its social media account.
It said five suspects were arrested early Monday.The police statement identified the victim only by the surname He, but the business news magazine Caixin, the newspaper Beijing News and other outlets said it was He Xiangjian, Midea’s 78-year-old founder.Midea thanked police in a statement on its social media account but gave no confirmation He Xiangjian was involved.