Ji'nan police act on Alibaba suspected forced molestation case

Ji'nan Police reported on a criminal case on Saturday night that has been opened against an Alibaba employee and a staffer at a local supermarket chain into suspected forced molestation.

The case started as an internal complaint by an Alibaba employee has resulted in an online uproar against sexual assault last week.

The female employee surnamed Zhou reported to police on July 28 that she was raped by her manager surnamed Wang during a business trip to Ji'nan in Shandong Province. 

Her post on the company's internal communications platform was widely circulated and prompted discussions about sexual misconduct in the workplace and negligence over female employee's complaints over such behavior. 

The criminal investigation was made official by local police on Tuesday. After investigation, the police said there was no evidence of rape or forced drinking over dinner. 

Wang was fired on Monday after admitting to the company about his "overly intimate behaviors" while two supervisors at Alibaba's fresh food delivery unit have resigned for dismissing the victim's complaint. 

Police said testimonies and video surveillance footage showed that Wang, who was a regional manager at Alibaba's Tmall fresh food delivery unit, dropped Zhou off at her hotel after dinner. 

He was told by another colleague to check on Zhou since she was drunk and unconscious. He went back to her room and carried out forced molestation. 

Police said it has taken temporary criminal offense actions against Wang and another employee at Ji'nan's Hualian Supermarket Chain Store surnamed Zhang, which could be among one of the following: criminal detention, arrest, restrictions on personal liberty, bail or residential surveillance. 

Zhang was also fired by Hualian last week.