A?man has blown up a police station in central China's Hubei Province in a bizarre revenge plot against his partners in a foiled tomb robbery plot.

Xia Xialin, native of Dangyang City, was caught by police and passers-by when fleeing the scene of the explosion on Wednesday, Dangyang police told local Website www.cnhubei.com.

Xia told police he planned to rob tombs in Dangyang with his partners last September. He provided food and accommodation for the gang at a cost of 10,000 yuan (US$1,465), mostly from his father.

But the robbery failed and He asked his partners to pay back the cost but they refused.

Later He's father was hospitalized and in great need of money.

Desperate, He decided to blow up the local police office to force the police to investigate the gang's tomb robbery plot.

He planted the explosives he bought for the tomb robbery in a hall of the police station around noon on April 14 when the security guard was away.

He lit the explosives and escaped, but was shortly caught after.

The police also caught He's three partners in the tomb robbery plot.