A man in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region accused of
raping and killing nine women and girls over a period of ten years
will soon go on trial.
Zhao Zhihong, 34, was allegedly involved in 21 cases of murder,
rape, robbery and larceny between 1996 and 2005, according to the
People's Procuratorate of Hohhot City, the regional capital.
His victims are said to have included a college student, a
government employee, a female taxi driver and a 12-year-old
girl.
When he was arrested on Oct. 23 last year, Zhao had been working
in a private kindergarten in Hohhot for more than two years, doing
manual repairs and working as a driver. None of the kindergarten
pupils or personnel was among his victims.
Regional police had announced a reward of 200,000 yuan (US$
25,300) for information leading to his capture.
Police said that Zhao, a native of Liangcheng County in Inner
Mongolia, was a carpenter there before he moved to Hohhot to earn a
living doing manual work.
From there, he drifted all over Inner Mongolia. He is accused of
crimes in Hohhot, Togtoh County, Tumd Zuoqi Banner and Ulanqab
City.
Zhao will soon go on trial. A lack of evidence has failed police
earlier attempts to bring him to court.
(Xinhua News Agency November 9, 2006)