A man has been arrested for allegedly killing 11 people in southwest China's Yunnan Province, police authorities said Sunday.

A large amount of physical evidence and DNA comparisons show that Zhang Yongming from Nanmen Village, Jinning County, killed the 11 males, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement.

The statement did not reveal the range of the victims' ages, but said local police authorities have contacted the victims' families.

Following a 20-day-plus investigation launched by the ministry and local police authorities, the 56-year-old suspect was arrested on charges of murder, it said.

Zhang was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for murder in 1979. He was freed and returned home in 1997 after receiving a number of sentence reductions.

The investigation shows that the alleged serial killer started to attack males who walked alone on the quiet road near his home where he lived alone since 2008.

After the murders, Zhang used various means, including dismemberment, burning and burial, to destroy the evidence, it said.

The Ministry of Public Security has pledged to work with local authorities to punish any police officers found to be guilty of dereliction of duty.

(Xinhua News Agency May 27, 2012)