Dangdang CEO apologizes over 'Peeping Tom'

An employee of a major Chinese online shopping retailer has been suspended from his job and arrested by police after allegedly being caught taking photos of women in an office toilet, the Beijing News reported Wednesday.

The man was reportedly found in the female bathroom of an office in Beijing on June 29 following a woman's screams.

E-commerce giant Dangdang Chief Executive Li Guoqing confirmed on July 2 that the man was an employee, apologized and asked for leniency.

A witness surnamed Wang said he heard a women screaming in the office in the Jing'an Center tower in Beijing and he was told a man was covertly taking pictures of women in the toilet, according to a Beijing News report.

Wang along with several other male colleagues found the man, who was carrying a Dandang employee identity card with the job title of product manager, and reported the matter to police. The company is based in Beijing's Jing'an Center, but it is reported the man was found on a different floor.

A video published online claims to show the man being caught, kneeling and begging for forgiveness. The female colleague claimed she had seen the man spying on a number of previous occasions. Police reportedly found numerous covert images on his cell phone.

A statement published on the micro blog of Dangdang said the incident happened after work time and not in the office of their company. They confirmed the employee has been suspended from work and will be fired if found guilty by police.

CEO Li Guoqing apologized on his micro blog, "the suspect is my colleague and he works hard. I'm sorry to the woman. I hope the police will deal with him leniently as this is a first offence and he has a good attitude. I also beg people to give him another chance."

Li also thanked the media for concealing the suspect's name in reports and asked for the online video be deleted.