An escaped prisoner who had used a crane to smash through a prison wall to flee was caught by police this morning in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province.

He escaped from a prison in Baoding City on March 12, China News Service reported.

The prisoner, 28-year-old Xie Wanli, escaped from the prison by driving a crane at full speed and smashing through the wall of the compound, a previous China News report said.

The report didn't say how police captured him or how Xie obtained the vehicle used in the escape.

Xie, a Hebei native, was sentenced to 18 years in jail for robbery and kidnapping in 2005.

Police had dispatched helicopters in urban areas to search for Xie.

They set up perimeters at provincial borders and toll booths to apprehend the fugitive.

Police had offered a reward of 100,000 yuan (US$14,065) to anyone providing useful information leading to Xie's capture, previous reports said. The China News report did not say if police gave out the reward.

(Shanghai Daily, March 18, 2008)