A SELF-PROCLAIMED Chinese qigong master, who claimed to conjure snakes from thin air and cure the sick, has been held by Jiangxi police on suspicion of kidnapping and murder.

    Wang Lin, who gained fame and political admirers through his performance of qigong, a traditional martial art combined with meditation, was detained Thursday over the death of businessman Zou Yong, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.

    Wang had won supporters and fans in high places with tales of his “supernatural powers” that have spread on the Internet, including conjuring snakes from thin air, and pictures have appeared online of him posing with celebrities.

    Wang was reportedly visited by Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, for reasons unknown.

    Pictures also circulated on Chinese social media of Wang with former Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun — who was convicted of corruption and given a suspended death sentence — martial arts star Jet Li, and various senior officials.

    The public have questioned Wang’s authenticity, with some media accusing him of amassing a large fortune through claims of curing the sick.

    Reports described Zou as a disciple of Wang’s. Both are from the central province of Jiangxi, where Zou was also a local legislator.

    The businessman said in a TV interview that he had given Wang 5 million yuan (US$790,000), several sports cars and 20 kilograms of gold to teach him taichi, the Global Times said, citing reports.

    But Zou turned against his teacher in 2012 after he made persistent requests for money, the newspaper said.

    “Since then, Zou had been revealing Wang’s alleged fraudulent behavior to media and authorities. Wang had denied Zou’s allegations,’’ the paper said.

    Zou was kidnapped and killed July 9, Xinhua said, adding that police in Jiangxi detained two suspects Tuesday night. Wang and another suspect were detained Thursday.

    The Beijing News quoted unnamed sources saying that Zou’s body was chopped up and thrown into a lake.

    The same newspaper ran an interview with Wang in 2013 that questioned his self-proclaimed powers.

    The newspaper suggested he had mastered sleight of hand rather than the supernatural, infuriating Wang so much that he telephoned the author to curse her.

    “I am telling you, you will die miserably, and your family will follow,’’ the Beijing News quoted him as saying in a follow-up article.

    Wang owns a 5-story villa in Jiangxi and keeps a Rolls-Royce and three Hummers, the report said. He had lived in Shenzhen for a long time, according to a report by ThePaper.cn.

    Wang had been previously investigated for possession of a gun, unlicensed medical practice, bribery and fraud. Local police and health authorities launched an investigation in 2013 but failed to make any headway due to lack of evidence.(SD-Agencies)