Bo Xilai tortured two aides to death to stop murder inquiry

In an attempt to quash an investigation into his wife for the murder of Neil Heywood, Bo Xilai had at least seven people seized and tortured two to death, according to a document read out to Chinese government officials.

Two former officials in Chongqing said a meeting of the city's Communist party cadres had been called on April 10, the day that the formal charges were announced against Bo and his wife, Gu Kailai.

"Officials were told not to bring their mobile phones into the room, not to make any notes, just to listen," said one former official, who asked not to be named. They were then read a description of how Bo, the powerful party secretary of Chongqing, had quarrelled with his police chief, Wang Lijun, after he heard that his wife might be implicated in the death of the British businessman.

Apparently fearing for his life, Wang fled to the US consulate in the city of Chengdu a few days later. When he heard the news that the police chief had fled, Bo was on a trip to Yunnan province, but ordered his personal security team to chase Wang and his associates down.

While the US consulate shielded Wang from officers loyal to Bo, the police chief's associates, and other members of the investigation team were captured. "At least seven of Wang's associates, including his driver, were arrested by Bo, and at least two were tortured to death," said the document that was read out, according to the former official.

As one of the 350 or so members of the Communist party's Central Committee, Bo was entitled to a personal security detail. He also lived on a military camp in Bagongli, a Chongqing suburb, and had ties to the People's Liberation Army.

The former official said the details had been read to all officials and party members above county level in order to consolidate support for the party's decision to remove Bo from power.

Since Bo's downfall, the Chinese state media has printed a stream of editorials calling for stability and loyalty to Hu Jintao, the Chinese president. "It is when they write that we should be strong and confident that you know there is little confidence," said a second official.

He disclosed that propaganda work to unite Chongqing's administration had begun before Wang tried to defect. "A few days before the incident, there was a conference for propaganda leaders, and they were told that in case of a major incident, the foreign media would try to sensationalise it. I suspected something was about to happen," said the official.

The alleged deaths of two of Wang's aides could be part of the serious breaches of party discipline for which Bo is being investigated. Both sources also said that Xia Deliang, the district chief in Nan'an, was not part of Bo's inner circle. It has been suggested that Xia may have supplied the cyanide that is thought to have been slipped into Heywood's drink.

The official is one of the scores of people who have been detained as the Chinese government deepens its investigation. It emerged yesterday that two more members of Bo and Wang's close circle have also been arrested.

Guo Weiguo, the vice bureau chief of Chongqing's Public Security bureau, is said to have supported Bo in his attempt to stifle the murder investigation. Li Yang, the head of general team of criminal police, has also been removed.

On Thursday it was reported that Zhang Xiaojun, a member of the Bo household who has been held for his alleged involvement in the murder, travelled with Heywood, 41, on his flight to Chongqing a day before he died. According to reports, Zhang may have been put in charge of making sure that Heywood made his appointment with the Bos.