Photo: screenshot from online video

The foreign prison breaker who escaped from a prison in Jilin, Northeast China's Jilin Province on October 18 was apprehended by the local police around 10 am on Sunday, according to the public security bureau of Jilin city. He had been at large for more than 40 days. 

An official from Jilin Province publicity department confirmed his capture to the Global Times on Sunday. The prisoner, identified as Zhu Xianjian in Chinese language, has been detained, the department said, noting the local police will give further information about where and how he was caught. 

According to a notice the public security bureau of Jilin city released, the prison escapee was caught by the local police in Fengman district, and local residents said Zhu had hidden in a local abandoned tourist attraction. 

An online video clip shows a man believed to be Zhu being carried away by four police officers. 

Local residents said they found their belongings at home were stolen and they reported the matter to the local police. It took the police two days and one night to search for and captured him on an island. The only way to go to the island is by boat.

According to two sources close to the local police, a local resident's home was intruded by a thief but the thief left a cigarette butt behind. The local police confirmed it belonged to Zhu after DNA analysis and locked Zhu's location, according to Red Star News.

Zhu was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison in 2014 for three crimes he committed in Yanbian, Jilin, including illegally crossing the national border, theft and robbery with intent to cause serious injury. He was to be released and deported in 2023, according to media reports. 

Previously, the amount of reward for reporting the whereabouts of Zhu offered by the police caused a huge sensation after it was raised to 700,000 yuan ($109,600) from the initial 150,000 yuan while the extremely dangerous escapee was still at large. 

Photo: screenshot from CCTV News

In terms of the reward, a police officer from the local police said he had no idea about the person who offered the tip-off and whether the 500,000-yuan reward promised by the local police had been given out.

Before Zhu was caught, a man from Baicheng, Jilin Province was reported by local residents to the local police repeatedly due to his appearance which resembled that of the prison breaker.

Local residents proactively kept an eye out for anyone who looked like the escaped prisoner. According to media reports, the average monthly income of local residents is 2,000 yuan. 

Before Zhu's capture, a police officer from the public security bureau of Jilin city told the Global Times on Sunday that they had kept receiving reports of Zhu. 

The man from Baicheng in Jilin, however, was reported five times in three days due to his highly similar looks and expressions to the prison escapee, according to media reports. 

Global Times