Manhunt Stepped up for Zhou Kehua, China’s Most Dangerous Man, after Double Killing

A manhunt for multiple killer Zhou Kehua - China's most wanted man - has been stepped up after a woman and a police officer were shot dead and two bystanders were wounded in his latest attacks.

Zhou, who has been on the run for eight years, has been accused of killing at least nine people since 2004.

His main target are customers withdrawing money from banks, China's state-media said.

In the latest attack attributed to him, he reportedly shot dead a woman outside a bank in the southwestern megacity of Chongqing.

He went on to wound two other people and killed a policeman in a separate incident on the same day, reports said.

Authorities have warned that Zhou is ruthless and highly dangerous.

"We have not seen this kind of cold-blooded killer in years," an unnamed police official told the Xinhua state media agency.

The 42-year-old, who has a £50,000 bounty on his head, was said to be hiding in a mountainous area.

His criminal career started after he shot and killed a woman during a 70,000 yuan ($11,000) bank heist in Chongqing in 2004.

Police believe he is also responsible for shootings in Changsha, in China's central Hunan province, and, Nanjing in the east of the country.

According to police, Zhou was born in rural Chongqing. He has reportedly spent time in prison in Yunnan province for trafficking firearms.