Man who beheaded his girlfriend in front of horrified Greek villagers 'in critical condition'

During a furious row with his girlfriend, Thanassis Arvanitis, 31, first beheaded her dog before turning his butcher's knife on her.

Arvanitis then roamed the village of Vourvoulos with his girlfriend's head as terrified neighbours locked themselves in their homes and called the police.

Horror: Police search for evidence outside the house where the Greek man beheaded his girlfriend

'He was walking around, carrying her head and telling the astonished villagers not to stop him,' said one police official.

'They knew he had psychological problems ... but they didn't expect he would reach this point.'

When a policeman tried to handcuff him, Arvanitis knifed the officer and flung the victim's head into a patrol car.

Arvanitis then made off in a second patrol car and ran over two women doctors, both 26, who were riding a motorcycle before he was caught.

Police say a Greek man has been arrested after killing then beheading his girlfriend in the island of Santorini

Arvanitis was shot at least three times by police during the chase and he is now undergoing surgery at an island hospital.

The victim, 25-year-old Adamantia Karkali, worked as a teacher at a local village.

As the police fired at him to stop him, a stray bullet hit a female tourist, 21, who is now recovering in hospital.

Arvanitis and the three bystanders were being treated in a state hospital in Athens. The two doctors were making a good recovery after suffering leg injuries, said Health Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos. The tourist was in stable condition. The injured policeman received treatment for facial wounds on Santorini.

Tourism Minister Aris Spiliotopoulos vowed earlier this week to make Greek resorts safer after a spate of violent incidents at the peak of the tourist season.