Hong Kong ( CNN ) -- A huge manhunt involving soldiers and police is underway in China for an elusive armed robber who is thought to be behind a string of murders dating back to 2004 . The search for 42-year-old Zhou Kehua -- one of the country 's most wanted criminals -- is focused on the southwestern city of Chongqing , China 's biggest metropolis , after a woman was shot dead and two others injured on Friday morning outside a bank during an attempted robbery , the state-run Xinhua news agency reported . Later that day , local police reported that a railway policeman was killed while in pursuit of a man believed to be Zhou -- his tenth victim in eight years following a series of robberies in Chongqing , Nanjing and Changsha . All his victims were shot in the head , according to media reports , while police say he targeted people withdrawing money from banks . Chongqing authorities recalled officers on vacation as they launched a full-scale search for the fugitive in mountainous areas around the city , Xinhua said . Police and military units from Hunan and Jiangsu provinces were also mobilized . The search uncovered a cave that Zhou is believed to have stayed in , China Daily reported . Inside were two cigarette cases , a T-shirt and human waste , the report added . Police have said Zhou is an expert at survival in the wild , though there is no record of him serving in the military . According to China Daily , the Ministry of Public Security has classified Zhou as a `` class-A '' suspect , with a total 5.4 million yuan ( US $ 849,000 ) in rewards being offered for information leading to his capture . A huge -- but ultimately fruitless -- search for Zhou was carried out in January this year after he allegedly shot and robbed a man who had just withdrawn 200,000 yuan ( $ 31,700 ) from a bank in Nanjing before fleeing in a car . Nanjing Public Security Bureau 's Xuanwu district office told CNN at the time that more than 80,000 police officers took part in the manhunt . It also published two video clips online of the suspect escaping the scene . Authorities have warned people against attempting to confront Zhou as he is considered `` ruthless and highly dangerous , '' Xinhua said . China increases bounty for deadly robber . China dispatches thousands in hunt for robber . CNN 's Dayu Zhang contributed to this report .
Search for Zhou Kehua -- one of China 's most wanted criminals -- focused on city of Chongqing . Zhou accused of killing ten people during a series of attempted robberies since 2004 . 42-year old escaped similar manhunt in Nanjing in January after a man was shot during a robbery . Comment: