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)