Police successfully saved a 12-year-old girl who had been taken hostage by shooting the criminal to death Monday in east China's Anhui province.

The 34-year-old Wu Haoming abducted fifth-grader Liu on her way to school around 7:15 am Monday in Anhui's Liu'an City. Wu doused himself and Liu with the gasoline he carried and threatened to kill the girl with a knife and burn himself after secluding Liu and himself in a vacated beauty saloon.

Over 100 police rushed to the site and tried to negotiate with Hu for some four hours. At around 11:50 am, Wu, who seemed very mentally unstable, suddenly put the knife to Liu's neck and was about to kill the girl. The police broke into the saloon and shot Wu dead and saved Liu from injury.

Farmer Wu, a local of the Shouxian County, was divorced from his wife one month ago and became mentally disturbed and often physically hurt his relatives since then, according to police sources.

Police are still investigating into the case.

(Xinhua News Agency June 21, 2004)