JAKARTA (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Cai Changpan, a Chinese death row inmate who had been at large for a month following his escape from the Tangerang penitentiary in Banten, was found dead in a factory in Bogor, West Java, on Saturday (Oct 17).

The Jakarta Police have declared his death a suicide. "We've concluded that (the convict) died by suicide," Jakarta Police spokesperson Yusri Yunus said on Saturday as quoted by Kompas.com.

He said the police were collecting evidence and witness statements to further investigate the circumstances surrounding the death. Cai's body was found by a security officer in a tire factory in Jasinga district on Saturday morning.

According to the officer, the convict had often spent nights at the factory. The officer claimed that Cai had threatened him into silence, warning him against tipping off authorities regarding his whereabouts, Yusri said.

It was previously reported that Cai escaped from the penitentiary in September through a tunnel he had been digging for months.

Two prison officers were suspended after his escape. Immediately after escaping, Cai visited his wife and children in Cilaku village in Bogor regency, West Java, where he used to run a tire recycling business that is now managed by his wife with the help of several employees.

Cai was declared guilty of drug trafficking and sentenced to death in 2017.