Prisoner escapes after tricking policeman with snake claim

A cunning prisoner outwitted a policeman and escaped his cell - by claiming there was a snake inside.

Play-acting prisoner Anan Komolwanit, 23, was arrested and held in custody in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on Sunday night after allegedly being found with dozens of methamphetamine pills.

The next evening the suspect began screaming and calling for help, shouting to the on-duty officer Commander Ratchada Supawong, that a deadly cobra had slithered through the bars.

The hapless cop made three visits to the cell without seeing the mystery serpent, but on the fourth trip, after giving the suspect a clip round the ear, he took a closer look in the cell.

While he was searching, Anan moved slowly behind the officer then crept through the open cell door - slamming it behind him, locking it and leaving the officer trapped inside.

CCTV shows how Anan sprinting out of the station before another bungling policeman who was in pursuit then stumbled on a step.

More than 200 police and volunteers joined the search for the fugitive who was later arrested in the early hours of Tuesday morning hiding under a banana tree.

Watch his escape in the video above.