Prison inmate shrink-wraps then sends himself to freedom

A 36-year-old Bosnian escaped from an Austrian prison by getting himself shrink-wrapped with some parts for street lamps made by inmates and trucked out, the mass-circulation Kronen daily said today.

The man, named as Muradif H, had been serving a seven-year term for burglary in the southern provincial city of Graz and was due for release in 2012.

Kronen said Muradif, who had a prison job making parts for street lamps, had himself wrapped in plastic with finished parts on a pallet and loaded into a truck.

Austrian police were searching for the escapee.