Last fleeing inmate captured in NE China

Serveillance video captures the escape of three inmates from a detention center in Yanshou county, Harbin city, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang province in the early morning of September 2, 2014. [Photo: CCTV News Weibo]

Police in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province have confirmed the capture of Gao Yulun, the last of three escaped inmates, on Thursday afternoon.

The 50-year-old was seized at the home of a relative in Hefu Village, Yanshou County at around 5 p.m. on Thursday, nine days after he and another two inmates killed a guard and escaped a detention center on Sept. 2, said the Public Security Bureau of Harbin, the provincial capital.

Out of extreme hunger, Gao took a risk in seeking food from the home of his relative. The relative offered him food to settle him down and then called the village chief to tell him about the situation, the bureau said.

The relative and police soon detained Gao.

Gao earlier was awaiting execution for intentional homicide.

Local police captured the other two runaways, 29-year-old Li Haiwei, earlier suspected of intentional homicide, and 35-year-old Wang Damin, earlier suspected of intentional injury resulting in death, on Sept. 3 and Sept. 4, respectively.

Gao's capture is a relief for 2,000 police and paramilitary officers who joined the lengthy manhunt, with cash rewards for information leading to the arrests of the fugitives. It was no less of a relief to local people in fear of the death-row prisoner.

Four officers, including head and deputy head of the detention center and a deputy head of the Yanshou county public security bureau in charge of prisons, have been suspended from their posts pending further investigation.