A man is caught by police in Ruili, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, attempting to cross the border into China by digging his way to the city. Photo: Screenshot of a video posted by Passion News

An illegal immigrant has been caught by police in Ruili, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, attempting to cross the border into China by digging his way here. 

Police said the immigrant was found to have dug holes underground to make his illegal entry, reported the Paper on Monday. Some netizens said the method used by the immigrant reminded them of Andy Darabont's escape from prison in the movie Shawshank Redemption, which is rare to see in real life.

Ruili is on the border with Myanmar to the city's northwest, southwest and southeast. The police did not reveal the details of where the man came from.

The city has been stepping up efforts to guard against illegal immigrants crossing the border.

In September 2020, Ruili reported two imported cases of COVID-19, both from Myanmar illegal immigrants.

The imported virus led to a cluster outbreak in the city, where a lockdown was later imposed to control the spread of the pandemic.