Four corpses were found in a student dorm's cabinets in Yunnan University on Monday in Kunming, capital city of southwest China's Yunnan Province. Local police is offering a 150,000-yuan (US$18,122) reward for clues to the suspected murderer, 23-year-old Ma Jiajue.

The victims, all male and majoring biology in the university, were found missing over the weekend, police said. A student smelt terrible odor while passing Dorm 317, and reported it to the campus security guards. The security guards found one body in a cabinet and police later found three more corpses in different cabinets. Police said that the four students were probably hammered to death.

Police spokesperson Xian Yanming said that they suspected Ma Jiajue, a junior student in Yunnan University, was the culprit.

Ma has been missing. The murderer's motive is unknown.

Police have not found Ma, who comes from neighboring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. He is at large with his ID card and probably his student card, police said.

The wanted notice said that any person who finds and turns over the suspect to the police will be rewarded 150,000 yuan. Persons providing key clues leading to his arrest will be rewarded 100,000 yuan.

A student witness said the four undergraduates went back to school on February 14, six days before the beginning of a new semester, to seek jobs upon graduation.

(China Daily February 27, 2004)