He was taken away by police on Wednesday evening, confirmed police.

Huang Junqin founded the Beijing Towercrest Group Ltd. in 1987,which then featured chain business and electronic technology trade, and created the famous brand Gome.

In 1993, he left Gome and shifted to the real estate business. For more than a decade, the company grew at a speed of 30 percent a year. Now it boasts more than 20 billion yuan (about 2.6 billion U.S. dollars) as total assets and 17 share-holding companies, according to its website.

Also under investigation was Xu Zhongmin, CEO of the Pengtai investment company, in which Huang Guangyu held shares. Xu is Huang Guangyu's friend.

Police on Thursday confirmed that Huang Guangyu, the richest man on the Chinese mainland, is under investigation for involvement in "economic crimes".

The personal wealth of appliance tycoon Huang, 39, was estimated at 43 billion yuan by the 2008 Hurun Rich list released in early October.

But police said that his alleged crime is personal in a bid to ensure smooth operation of the Hong Kong-listed Gome Electrical Appliances Holdings Ltd.