SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Police in the rural Chinese city of Yancheng have detained the person suspected of spreading a rumour that sparked a three-day bank run in the eastern Chinese town, security officials said on the city's official microblog on Thursday.
Yancheng city police detained a person surnamed Cai on Wednesday night after a rumour was started earlier this week that some banks in the area were insolvent. Depositors rushed to branches of two banks to withdraw all their savings after hearing the rumour.
The banks and Yancheng government moved to reassure depositors that their savings were safe, packing cash to the ceiling in bank branches to show depositors the banks had enough cash to fulfil all necessary withdrawals.
Chinese regulators have been moving to crack down on people spreading rumours, which they say are damaging Chinese society. Officials in Yancheng have said those responsible for spreading the rumours will be severely punished.
(Reporting by Adam Jourdan and the Shanghai newsroom; Editing by Paul Tait)
