SHANGHAI (REUTERS) - Chinese property developer Dalian Wanda Group has filed suits against a number of media outlets and social media accounts for spreading rumours about its billionaire owner Wang Jianlin being stopped from leaving the country, the firm said on Wednesday (Sept 6).

The move underlines heightened sensitivity in corporate China to reports of company bosses coming under scrutiny, amid a crackdown on big-spending conglomerates that has seen some top executives detained or called in for questioning.

The Chinese company said last month (August) that a report claiming its billionaire chairman, Mr Wang Jianlin, was prevented from leaving the country was "groundless" and that it planned to take legal action.

Wanda said in a statement on Wednesday it had filed lawsuits against the holders of at least 10 microblog accounts - some operated by online media outlets - on Chinese social media platforms Weibo and WeChat.

"Wanda will also press criminal charges against those whose behaviour constituted a crime by spreading the rumours," Wanda said, adding it would seek compensation of 5 million yuan (S$1 million) from each account and a public apology.

Some media outlets had reported, without citing sources, that Mr Wang had been stopped from leaving China's Tianjin airport while with his family and detained for a few hours.

Weibo and Tencent Holdings, which runs WeChat, were not available to comment when contacted by Reuters.

Wanda, which has spent billions of dollars on global entertainment and sports firms in recent years, is one of a number of firms to have drawn the gaze of Chinese regulators concerned about capital outflows and risky overseas deals.

Squeezed for finance, Wanda last month agreed to sell 77 hotels to Guangzhou R&F Properties for 19.9 billion yuan and 91 per cent equity in 13 tourism projects to Sunac China Holdings for 43.8 billion yuan.