A 17-year-old boy died suddenly after being held at a detention
house for allegedly stealing bikes in Kaifeng City of Henan
Province, a Henan newspaper reported.
The parents found bruises and nearly 20 black spots resembling
those left by a burning cigarette across the boy's body, the
newspaper said.
The parents believed the teenager had been beaten up by
officers, according to the report.
But police told the parents the boy "died a sudden death."
On Tuesday, his father, Zhou Heping, 45, and mother, Zhang
Haoyu, 43, was told by police and village officials in their
hometown in Zhongmou County to have a talk.
They arrived at the police station only to be told their son had
died.
The mother told the Orient Today newspaper that she
scolded her son, Zhou Zengzhi in mid-November for arriving late for
lunch. The boy left home.
On November 19, police called his father, saying his son had
been detained for allegedly stealing 13 bikes.
The teenager was sent to the Kaifeng detention center on
December 3.
No local officials commented on the boy's death, the newspaper
said.
(Shanghai Daily December 15, 2007)