Xia Fugang is a resident who rented a place in Houyuan Community, Baicheng Subdistrict, Xiping County, Henan, making a living by odd jobs and storing sundries. On July 30, 2026, driven to despair in a neighbourhood dispute at his rented home, he fatally stabbed his neighbour Hou Mouli (described by state media as a 56-year-old disabled stroke patient), and allegedly injured passersby while escaping. Xia briefly returned home before fleeing into vast cornfields around Luohe. Local police issued bounties of up to 50,000 yuan, yet numerous residents refused to assist the hunt; instead, multiple videos showed citizens throwing bread and bottled water into the sweltering fields to keep him alive, hailing him as a hero resisting local tyrants and comparing him to Ou Jinzhong. State media and Red Star News quickly lashed out, lambasting the public sympathy as an 'illiterate carnival glorifying a murderer' and punishing outspoken netizens. After a 10-day manhunt, police captured him in a cornfield in Daliu Town on August 8. Xia is currently held in custody awaiting trial.
Xia Fugang, the suspect in a major murder case in Xiping County, Zhumadian, Henan, was apprehended by police in a cornfield in Yuanhui District, Luohe City, triggering online rumors and emotional discussions among the public regarding an elderly pear seller's report and a boycott of Luohe.
Local police mobilized a large number of officers to block the village entrance, deploying SWAT police, drones, and other equipment to conduct a search in the nearby cornfields.
People in various parts of Henan drove to the area where Xia Fugang went missing, leaving behind car keys, food, drinks, and water, and writing "Wishing you safety" on the vehicles to publicly express their support.
There are reports that the Central Theater Command has dispatched troops to participate in search and capture operations, but the actual mission is to protect Xia Fugang; this claim has not been independently verified.
Xia Fugang, a renovation worker from Henan, is accused of clashing with a village official bully and causing multiple casualties in the official's family; he subsequently entered a cornfield and went missing, prompting a police search.
It is reported that approximately 10,000 local people in Henan were dispatched into the mountains to search for Xia Fugang, but he has not been captured for several consecutive days.
Xia Fugang from Xiping, Henan, was arrested after being reported by a local elderly man in Luohe, triggering widespread attention and heated discussion online. Influencers and netizens have expressed strong dissatisfaction and are calling for a boycott of local products.
A criminal case occurred in Baicheng Subdistrict, Xiping County, Zhumadian, Henan. After a dispute with a neighbor, tenant Xia Fugang carried out an attack and fled, sparking spontaneous support from villagers and widespread sympathy.
A 51-year-old man named Xia Fugang had a dispute with a neighbor, resulting in at least one death and four injuries before fleeing into a cornfield. Police are offering a 50,000 yuan reward for his capture.