A 16-year manhunt by four Hubei brothers for the man who killed their father finally ended last month with the arrest of a suspect in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China.

Qianjiang police in Hubei Province, central China, where the victim Lan Wenbin, 48, was from, were able to find suspected murderer Liu Muzhu, 36, because of the four sons' dedication to the search.

According to Peng Yong, the Qianjiang Public Security Bureau officer supervising the case, Liu admitted to beating Lan to death during a fight in 1989. Liu had been a fugitive since the murder.

"To find Liu, we four brothers, over the past 16 years, have traveled to Beijing, Shenzhen and nearly everywhere in Hubei," the second brother, Lan Hanxin, told China Daily yesterday.

Hanxin and his brothers were all farmers in Yonglin Village in Qianjiang.

"In 2001, we heard that a relative of Liu was doing business at a market in the city of Qianjiang. My youngest brother, Hanliang, and I moved there to open a stall in the same market," Hanxin said.

The relative had no idea of Liu's link to the Lan brothers.

"We soon became familiar with Liu's relative and often chatted with each other," Hanxin said.

"I even intentionally told him once that murderers will be punished in the end even if they are at large for a long time," Hanxin said. 

"The relative boasted about how Liu had fled to Xinjiang after killing someone. He said Liu opened a lot of businesses there and married and had a son."

The brothers passed on the information to Qianjiang police. But Liu managed to give them the slip.

Four years later, the Lan brothers appealed to local police to try searching for Liu again, police said.

Qianjiang Public Security Bureau Director Gao Jinhong dispatched two policemen to fly secretly to Xinjiang on July 18 where Liu was finally arrested with the assistance of local police, sources said.

Peng Yong said yesterday that the case would soon be submitted to a local court.

"Evidence has already been prepared," Peng said.

"My family members and I were so happy to hear the news. We are waiting for a fair judgment," Hanxin said.

The four brothers spent more than 50,000 yuan (US$6,200) during their 16-year hunt for Liu.

(China Daily August 2, 2005)