The final suspect of China's largest armoured car robbery has been detained by police after more than two decades on the run.
Fugitive Chen Xunmi was captured by Guangzhou City police in a market in the city of Ruili, in southwest China's Yunnan Province, in cooperation with local police on Thursday afternoon, according to the Guangzhou Bureau of Public Security.
Chen, who changed his name and appearance after cosmetic surgery, was escorted back to Guangzhou by armed officers on Friday afternoon, police said.
Video showed Chen handcuffed and wearing a black hood as he was taken through the station terminal to board to the bullet train.
Another suspect on the run had surrendered himself to police in Yunnan on December 25 due to heavy pressure from police, the security bureau said.
Both suspects admitted to having participated in the heist after they were detained, police said.
On December 22, 1995, seven men robbed an armoured car at gunpoint in front of a bank office in Guangzhou. One officer was killed and another injured on the spot when the gang fired nine shots before taking the vehicle that carried currencies worth A$2.97 million.
It was then the largest heist on the mainland and was even adapted into a television series.
Guangdong provincial public security bureau sent more than 3500 police officers to hunt for the suspects and set up a special task force of more than 400 officers to focus on the case. Nine police groups with altogether 45 officers were also sent to provinces and regions including Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Shaanxi, Fujian and Jiangxi provinces.
Two weeks later, police arrested all the gang heads and members except for the two outstanding suspects who were on the run.
Seven pistols, 282 bullets, more than 20 self-made hand grenades, over 11.75 million yuan (A$2.32 million) and over 2.12 million HK dollars (A$380,000) were seized.
Police have never ceased their efforts to pursue and capture the remaining suspects in the case over the previous 21 years, although many officers in charge of the case have changed their posts, a police officer from Guangzhou said on Friday.