Three suspects have been captured in connection with the murder and robbery in Hainan of Zhou Dingxin, a Shanghai aerospace expert, police in the provincial capital of Haikou said Thursday. Three other suspects remain at large.

More than 2,000 Haikou policemen conducted six citywide raids to break the case. After two weeks, the police caught Liu Zhou and Liu Chengyang, both main suspects, at an intersection in Haikou on October 31. Liu Chenglong was captured the next day in Ledong County. Police did not indicate if the suspects were related.

Police are hunting for Xing Yongqing, Liu Yongchun and "A Fen" and searching for the stolen property.

Around midday on October 16, Zhou and his wife, Niu Jiemei, went for a walk in the Haikou People's Park. The couples were celebrating their honeymoon. When they stopped to rest at a pavilion, six young men stole their money.

Because the couple resisted and called for help, the robbers assaulted the couple and grabbed more than 300 yuan (US$36), a mobile phone and an identity card of Niu. Zhou died of skull comminuted fracture and encephalic bleeding. Niu was also attacked, but did not suffer serious injuries.

The suspects sold the stolen property to a pawnshop, split the cash and left separately. The police offered a reward of 50,000 yuan (US$6,041) for essential tips.

The 73-year-old Zhou was deputy chief engineer of the 803 Research Institute of the Shanghai Aerospace Bureau before retiring. He enjoyed an allowance given by the State Council and was given the honor of "National Model Worker." After retirement, he continued to be engaged by the institute.

His 55-year-old wife is a retired worker from the Shanghai Research Institute of Vacuum Devices.

"Zhou was excellent in both his character and work," said his former colleague Chen Rongfang. "Despite his age of 73, he still looked quite young and behaved just like a well-educated man."

Zhou's acquaintances also revealed that on the day of the assault, he had been married to his wife for only 15 days. His first wife had died.

(eastday.com November 7, 2003)