Shanghai police say they have arrested a suspect in the death case for possible poisoning of the billionaire founder of a Chinese video game company who makes films based on the popular science fiction novel “The Problem of the Three Bodies “. Lin Qi, 39, died on Christmas Day after being hospitalized, according to his company, Yoozoo Games Co., also known as Youzu Interactive.
According to a police statement, a 39-year-old co-worker, identified only by the surname Xu, was arrested. The statement states that the victim was hospitalized on December 17 and was diagnosed with possible poisoning, but did not give any other details. The Hollywood Reporter, citing local media, reported that Lin was allegedly ill from a cup of poisoned pu-erh tea.
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An employee who answered the phone Monday at the Shanghai police press office said there was no additional information to release.
Business magazine Caixin, which cites unidentified industry sources, said the suspect was an employee of Yoozoo’s film division and was working on “The Three-Body Problem.” This novel is currently being adapted as a Netflix series produced by the creators of “Game of Thrones,” David Benioff and DB Weiss. Lin is listed as the executive producer of the series.
Yoozoo is also known for its “Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming” game.
Lin ranked No. 870 among China’s richest businessmen with a net worth of 6.8 billion yuan ($ 1 billion), according to the Hurun report, which tracks China’s rich.