20-year-old French prisoner escapes in fellow inmate's luggage

The prisoner 'took advantage of the liberation of his fellow inmate to hide himself in his luggage and get out,' the prison service stated. (Representational image: Unsplash)

France's prison service said Saturday it had launched an investigation after a man escaped by smuggling himself into his cellmate's bag as he left jail, having served his sentence.

The 20-year-old prisoner escaped from Corbas prison, near Lyon, southeast France, on Friday, broadcaster BFMTV reported.

The inmate was serving several sentences, the prison service said in a statement to AFP.

He "took advantage of the liberation of his fellow inmate to hide himself in his luggage and get out", the statement said.

The escaped prisoner was also under investigation in a case linked to organised crime, a source close to the affair told AFP.

An internal investigation is underway and Lyon prosecutors had opened their own investigations, the prison service added.

Another recent attempt at a prison break that made headlines was that of a Brazilian inmate who found himself literally stuck against a wall while trying to flee, according to The Metro. Alan Leandro da Silva, 32, was discovered trapped waist-deep in a hole at a prison in Rio Branco.

Shirtless and bearing a large demon tattoo on his back, da Silva appeared injured, with visible grazes and bleeding from his predicament. Officials stated he attempted to escape during a distraction by guards, but misjudged the size of the hole he was digging through.

Firefighters were quickly called to the scene after wardens noticed unusual movement in the cell. A video, which has since gone viral, shows da Silva with his torso hanging out into the cell, precariously propped on a chair, as emergency personnel carefully drilled around him to prevent further injury.

Despite the failed escape and minor injuries sustained, the inmate was eventually freed and was unharmed.

(With inputs from AFP)