Jose Carlos Serna didn't need to dig an elaborate tunnel, or even use a cellphone to hatch his escape. No, the 57-year-old prisoner made it out from behind bars not once, but twice, using an old-but-still-reliable technology: a fax machine.
Serna, in prison "after he headed a gang that kidnapped a Spanish businessman in 2008, holding him captive (for ransom) in the Portuguese beach resort of the Algarve," according to The Daily Mail, forged faxes ordering his release.
The first time he did so was last October, when he was being held in a jail cell in a courthouse awaiting trial. Officers said they received a fax from a regional court, followed by a call from someone who said they were a court official, verifying Serna was to be released. That "official" turned out to be Serna's wife.
He did the same thing in December.
"Officers did try to verify the order, but their calls went unanswered. When they received a second call, confirming Serena's release, he was freed and put into a waiting taxi," the newspaper said.
Serna, who was captured recently by Spanish police, was found hiding in a hollowed-out sofa at his home in San Lorenzo del Escorial, north of Madrid, reports the Daily Telegraph. No word on whether the fax machine in question was there, too.
More about prisoners and technology:
- Lawmaker seeks penalties for prison cell phone smuggling
- Cult killer Manson found with another cell phone in prison
- Charles Manson had cell phone under prison mattress
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