China’s anti-graft watchdog said late on Sunday that the Chinese authorities were investigating Meng Hongwei, the head of the global law enforcement organisation Interpol who had been reported missing, for suspected violations of the law.

Meng, who is also a vice minister of public security in China, had been reported missing by his wife after travelling last month from France, where Interpol is based, to China.

“Public security ministry vice minister Meng Hongwei is currently under investigation by the National Supervisory Commission for suspected violations of law, the Chinese anti-graft body said on its website.

The statement was the first from China since Meng’s disappearance had been reported in France on Friday.

When asked about the Chinese announcement on Sunday, France’s interior ministry said it had no information.

The French ministry said on Friday that Meng’s family had not heard from him since September 25, and the French authorities said his wife had been placed under police protection after receiving threats on social media and by phone. His wife lives with him and their children in France.

Interpol had said on Friday it had asked Beijing to clarify Meng’s situation. The organisation had no immediate comment on Sunday.

His plight sends the latest message that nobody in China, however high profile, is safe if they fall into the sights of President Xi Jinping.

Last week Fan Bingbing, the country’s most famous actress, was hit with a dollars 129m bill for tax evasion after vanishing from public view for nearly four months.

Meng may have fallen foul of Xi’s anti-corruption crackdown or of factional infighting. There was also speculation that Meng may have been deemed to have failed to use Interpol extradition warrants, known as “red notices”, to seek the forced return from abroad of Chinese tycoons and former officials accused of fraud and corruption.

Critics noted that after his appointment by Interpol’s general assembly, the organisation had issued international arrest warrants for dissident business executives and figures.