One of the richest men in China has attempted suicide after nearly six months in detention while under investigation for alleged manipulation of share prices.

Huang Guangyu, a billionaire who made his fortune in electronics, made the suicide attempt a few days ago but was found in time and was recovering, the Apple Daily in Hong Kong said.

The attempted suicide could not be confirmed with Chinese officials, the report said.

Detainees in China are supplied only with plastic cups for tea or water and disposable chopsticks and spoons. Belts are removed.

Mr Huang, 39, transformed a single Beijing street stall selling radios and watches into Gome, China’s largest electrical appliance chain.

Since he was taken in for questioning in November last year he has resigned as chairman of the company which, along with his property investments, has brought him a fortune of more than £4 billion.

The disappearance of the founder of Gome – which supplies Chinese with everything from rice cookers to flat-screen televisions – has been followed by the detention of several senior Communist Party and government officials suspected of involvement with the businessman.

Chen Shaoji, 64, the chairman of a parliamentary consultative committee for southern Guangdong province, and Wang Huayuan, 61, the secretary of the Communist Party’s discipline inspection commission for southeastern Zhejiang province, were both detained last month.

In a sign that the investigation of Mr Huang may be taking a political direction, the head of the Ministry of Public Security's economic investigation bureau and a subordinate were detained in January. That investigation had revealed "significant assets of unclear origin" held by the family of Mr Chen in Guangdong, Chinese media have reported. That the investigation net includes such high-ranking officials highlights the difficulty in China of building up a business without government patronage or support and the need to pay off government departments.

Corruption investigations in China can be proxies for political struggles. In a recent case, a corruption investigation into a toll-road operator ended with the arrest and trial of Chen Liangyu, the Mayor of Shanghai, who was an ally of the former Chinese president Jiang Zemin.

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