Washington, Apr 28 (IANS): Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng feigned illness for weeks and when people keeping a watch on him let their guard down, he scaled a wall and fled under a moonless sky, said a media report that gave a dramatic account of his escape from house arrest.

Washington Post reported that Chen Guangcheng pretended to be sick for weeks.

He was always under watch, so Chen patiently waited for the security apparatus to slacken and let their guard down.

And when they did Sunday, he fled.

Chen scaled a high wall under a moonless sky and fled the village where he had been confined to his home for the past year and a half, said the media report citing a version of events provided by friends.

He then travelled nearly 400 miles to Beijing.

The escape was a challenge for the 40-year-old man who has been sightless since childhood.

Though his exact whereabouts are not known, his friends say he was "safe".

Chen's friends recall that the blind lawyer first attempted to escape last year by digging a tunnel with his family members.

But the tunnel was found when it was just a few yards long.

After escaping, Chen released a video for Premier Wen Jiabao, reported BBC.

His video was posted on Boxun, a Chinese dissident news website hosted in the US.

The sightless dissident has demanded that Wen investigate and prosecute local officials who beat up his family members, ensure the safety of his family, and deal with corruption in general in China and punish the guilty according to the law.