Beijing, May 11 (IANS): Chinese police have captured a fugitive who revealed his whereabouts by posting holiday selfies on social media.

The 27-year-old man, surnamed Qin, went into hiding last year after reputedly being hired as a hitman and seriously injuring his target, a villager in central China's Henan province.

But on May 3, the last day of the May Day holiday, Qin emerged on the popular messaging and photo-sharing service WeChat with selfies taken on Wudang Mountain in Hubei province, which neighbours Henan to the south. The photos were forwarded by an unwitting friend of Qin and drew the attention of the police.

Wudang Mountain police said on Monday that they quickly located Qin by identifying the photos' backdrops and made the arrest on May 5, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the police, Qin told them that he had joined a group of friends on the mountain tour and, believing that "the most dangerous place is the safest", even registered in a luxury hotel right beside the police station.

He posted the selfies as the relaxing trip made him complacent about his fugitive status, he said.