Police on Thursday captured a man charged with robbery and rape, who had been on the run for 17 years.

The 35-year-old fugitive was caught in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province, nearly 1,000 km away from his hometown in Funan county, Anhui province.

After learning the suspect had arrived in Xi'an to pick up his son, police from Funan and Xi'an ambushed and arrested him.

He is accused of four counts of robbery and three rapes.

Three other suspects involved in the crimes were caught and sentenced to imprisonment in 1995, but Chen fled, which placed him on the police's online wanted list.

As a fugitive, he wandered across several provinces in southern China, earning a living under false names.

Police said the suspect carried knives, was a good runner and had a cunning ability for reconnaissance, which enabled him to escape from police on several occasions.