France has opened an investigation into the disappearance of Meng Hongwei, the Chinese head of the international police agency Interpol.
His family have not heard from him since he left Interpol HQ in the French city of Lyon for a trip back to China on 25 September, officials said.
The South China Morning Post quotes a source as saying Mr Meng, 64, was "taken away" for questioning in China.
Officials in China have so far made no public comments on Mr Meng, a senior Communist Party official there.
As president, Mr Meng leads the Executive Committee, which provides the overall guidance and direction to Interpol.
Before taking over at Interpol, Meng Hongwei was deputy minister in charge of public security in China.
Mr Meng has 40 years of experience in criminal justice and policing in China, notably in the fields of drugs, counter-terrorism and border control, according to Interpol. »