Overcome by jealousy, a Mexican man has got stuck in tunnel he dug to spy on ex-wife.

The man identified as Cesar Arnoldo Gomez, 50, spent days digging the hole in Puerto Penasco, in northern Mexico, but has now been jailed according to authorities.

He had previously been handed a restraining order to stay away from Griselda Santillan, 58, his former girlfriend of several years, El Universal reports.

According to the news site, he intended to spy on and surprise her in case there was another man in her life. His wife reported to have been hearing noises behind the house for a while now but thought they were just cats and mice.

But the noises became stranger, prompting Santillán and a neighbor to inspect her yard. They discovered the mouth of a tunnel and several knives and water bottles.

Inside was her ex-husband, who had been trapped for some 24 hours and had been calling for help.

The man, who had been stuck for 24 hours, refused to leave until he was forced by emergency services.

He was taken to hospital, where he was found to be suffering with severe dehydration and possible poisoning.

He was later detained by authourities for violating his restraining order.