China says former Interpol chief is under investigation for accepting bribes and other unspecified "illegal activities."
Meng, who resigned from the international police organisation on Sunday after his wife reported him missing in China, is under investigation by the country's anti-corruption watchdog, according to a Public Security Ministry statement on Monday.
The investigation shows the ruling Communist Party under President Xi Jinping is committed to "carrying out the anti-corruption struggle," the statement said.
Xi has led a sweeping anti-graft crackdown since coming to power in 2012.
"There is no privilege and no exception in front of the law," the ministry said. "Anyone who violates the law must be severely punished."
Meng's disappearance hit the headlines after Interpol initially said it didn't know where its chief was.
Only after the organisation asked the Chinese government about Meng's whereabouts, on Saturday, did China admit it had detained him.
Meng's wife, Grace, who reported him missing last week, told journalists in the French city of Lyon, where Interpol is based, that she feared for her safety.
Grace Meng said her husband - who is also vice minister of public security in China - sent her a social media message telling her to "Wait for my call" on September 25, the day he set off for China from Lyon.
Minutes later, he sent his last message to her, an emoji of a knife, which she said she believed meant he was in danger.
It is very unusual, however, for the head of an international organisation of the size and distinction of Interpol to be detained.
Critics have accused Xi of using the anti-corruption campaign to remove rivals and cement his grip on power.
Meng was elected president of Interpol in 2016 and was due to serve until 2020.
Senior Vice President Kim Jong Yang of South Korea will become acting president of Interpol, the organisation said, pending the election of a successor.
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