Fourth Teen Seized after Woman Stabbed to Death

A fourth suspect in the stabbing death of a woman using an ATM outlet in Shanghai was arrested by police on a train leaving the city yesterday afternoon.

The 16-year-old boy, surnamed Zhou, was seized after his three teenage accomplices were caught on Thursday and escorted back to the city yesterday morning.

A waitress surnamed Song, 22, was stabbed to death at an ATM outlet in Jing'an District's Jiangning Road about 3am on March 22. Police said the suspects took 40 yuan (US$5) from the victim, who was about to get married.

Song came from Harbin in northeast Heilongjiang Province.

The chief suspect, surnamed Hu, 15, came to the city from his hometown of Susong in Anhui Province in February and met three of his fellow townsmen: 19-year-old Wei, 17-year-old Zhang and 16-year-old Zhou. They failed to find a job in Shanghai and came up with the idea to commit a robbery and return home with the proceeds.

"The suspects targeted the victim who was walking along Kangding Road early that morning and went into action when the woman entered the bank on Jiangning Road," said Zhu Ying, vice director of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau.

"She was a club waitress and had the habit of depositing small amounts of cash, usually tips from club customers, every morning on her way home from work."

Hu allegedly took the knife offered by Wei and followed the victim inside, while the other three kept watch outside the security door. The bank's surveillance video tape showed Hu take out the knife from his jacket and stab the victim repeatedly at 3:12am.

The woman fought back, but finally fell on the ground. Hu stole her wallet containing 40 yuan and then Zhang came in and tried to grab her satchel, but failed. The two quickly fled the bank and ran away with the other two suspects.

About 20 minutes later a passer-by alerted police. However, the woman was pronounced dead when officers and medical staff arrived.

Chen Qizhong, director of Jing'an District Public Security Bureau, said they received more than 60 tips from residents after city police issued wanted notices containing the pictures of two suspects.

The breakthrough occurred on Monday afternoon when investigators were tipped off that an Anhui boy resembled one of the wanted teens.

"After scientific comparison, we confirmed the boy Hu was the suspect in the video tape," Chen said, adding a special task force was immediately dispatched to Hu's hometown.

Just as city police were working with their counterparts in Anhui, Hu and Zhang, accompanied by their parents, surrendered themselves to police at 1:45am on Thursday.

Meanwhile another team captured the suspect Wei in his temporary residence in Beijing at 8pm the same day.