A man suspected of murdering eight people with an axe in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province was caught by police Wednesday, the Chinese Business View reported.

Jian Xueliang, a villager in Zhashui County, was captured in the evening in Zhen'an County after a villager told police the man had a bowl of rice at his home at noon, the Xi'an-based newspaper said.

The villager, He Benguo, said he found one of two bowls of rice he put on a table had disappeared when he aired clothes and returned to the room. Jian then emerged from a toilet admitting he had eaten it and then left. He thought he looked like the wanted man and called police.

The victims, aged from four to 80, were found dead at home last Friday. They belonged to the families of two brothers.

Police alleged the killing spree was committed by Jian, who was jailed between 1999 and 2003 for raping a woman of one of the families.

Police had offered a reward of 50,000 yuan (US$6,041) for information leading to Jian's capture.

Source: Shenzhen Daily