A Brazilian drug lord, Clauvino da Silva, who attempted to smuggle himself out of prison while dressed as his own teenage daughter has been found dead in jail.

Da Silva, 42, had been serving a 73-year sentence in Bangu prison, Rio de Janeiro, when he was caught trying to break out of jail wearing an elaborate disguise on Saturday.

Guards caught him and returned him to his cell, where he was found dead on Tuesday having apparently hanging himself with a bed sheet.

Daily Mail reported that the Rio prison authority had launched an investigation into the death.

Da Silva – nicknamed ‘shorty or ‘bajito’ in Portuguese – had brought his daughter for a prison visit on Saturday when he launched his audacious escape attempt.

While she hid herself from guards, he slipped into a silicone mask, wig, glasses and women’s clothing including a pink top and bra before trying to sneak out.

However, officers noticed that the woman they thought was Da Silva’s 19-year-old daughter was moving ‘awkwardly’ and decided to pull her aside.

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Once in an interrogation room they discovered the woman was actually Da Silva in disguise.

The guards then posted a video of the gangster being undressed online, which made news around the world.

The death of Silva will come as an embarrassment for Rio’s prison authorities, which had initially cheered their actions in preventing his unusual escape plan.

He is the latest prisoner to die in Brazil’s jails, which have become a major headache for new tough-on-crime President Jair Bolsonaro.