A DARING inmate's attempt at freedom was short-lived after he escaped from prison only to be smoked out at his home a day later.

Andrew Dakarai Nechiora (25), who was serving time for robbery, thought he could outsmart prison guards when he vanished while fetching firewood with 11 other inmates at the Chipinge Prison Farm on 15 September.

"He slipped away unnoticed in a bushy area," the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) said in a statement. "Despite an immediate search, the offender could not be found."

Prison officials raised the alarm and reported the matter to ZRP Chipinge Urban. Acting on a tip-off, authorities pounced on Nechiora the very next day at his home in St Kelvin, Chipinge, putting a swift end to his brief taste of freedom.

The Chipinge Magistrates' Court wasted no time in handing down a fresh sentence. Nechiora was slapped with three years behind bars, with one year suspended, for escaping from lawful custody.

"The case highlights the serious consequences of attempting to flee lawful custody," said the NPAZ.

Nechiora will now serve the remainder of his robbery sentence before starting his new term, proving that crime doesn't pay -- especially when you try to outrun justice.