The escape of a 35-year-old Serbian man from the Duisburg-Hamborn prison in Germany appears to have been thoroughly planned, according to a report by Bild.

After searching his cell, investigators discovered a secret compartment under the linoleum floor that had gone unnoticed during previous inspections. However, they found no tools inside.

According to the Ministry of Justice of North Rhine-Westphalia, the prisoner likely cut through the bars in front of the window and used a table to pry open a second, inner set of bars. He then squeezed through the opening, climbed up the facade to the roof and escaped.

He remains at large, and police are searching for him. The man was sentenced in late May to six years in prison for two burglaries in which he allegedly stole jewelry and more than €200,000 ($233,000).

Investigators are trying to determine how he obtained the tool used to cut through the bars and why the hiding place was not discovered during inspections. The case has also sparked a debate about prison security and staff shortages.

(pmi)