WUHAN - Chinese police have nabbed a fugitive after managing to track him down through the holiday selfies the man had posted on social media, the Xinhua news agency reported on Monday.

The 27-year-old man, identified only by his surname Qin, had been in hiding since last year. But he was inadvertently outed after police found selfies he took on a trip to Wudang Mountain in central China's Hubei Province on May 3, the last day of China's May Day holiday.

Qin had reportedly been trying to evade capture after being hired as a hitman and seriously injuring his target, a villager in the neighbouring Henan Province.

Police found the photos of Qin on the popular messaging and photo-sharing service WeChat after they were unwittingly forwarded by one of his friends.

Wudang Mountain police said on Monday they arrested Qin on May 5 after locating him by identifying the backgrounds on the photos.

Police said Qin had gone with a group of friends on a mountain tour and had been enjoying himself so much that he became complacent despite his fugitive status.

Qin had even registered in a luxury hotel beside the police station, saying he believed "the most dangerous place (was) the safest".