Chinese man on the run for 17 years found in cave by police drone

Song Moujiang, jailed for people trafficking, escaped prison in 2002

Chinese police reportedly used drones to track down a convicted human trafficker who had been on the run for 17 years and was living in a cave.

Song Moujiang, 63, who was jailed for trafficking women and children, had evaded police capture after escaping a prison camp, Yilaochang Farm in Sichuan province, in March 2002, the BBC reported.

He later fled to a tiny cave that was less than “two square meters” and lived an isolated existence, according to the Yonghsan police’s online WeChat account.

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Police were only alerted to his whereabouts in the mountains near his hometown in Yunnan province, south-west China, earlier this month.

They struggled to find him due to the steep cliff slopes and complex terrain, according to the BBC. They launched an operation of additional drones after initial investigations failed. On 19 September, Yongshan police spotted a blue coloured steel tile on the cliff and domestic rubbish near the cave.

They said that that after an hour’s search on foot, they discovered the “the unkempt face” of Moujiang. According to the police, he had not bathed or washed his clothes in years and had such poor communication skills he struggled to talk to officials.

He has now been returned to jail.