A Brazilian drug lord who attempted to smuggle himself out of prison while dressed as his own daughter before being caught has been found dead.
Clauvino 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.
Video of His Capture
Guards caught him and returned him to his cell, where he was found dead on Tuesday having apparently hanging himself with a bed sheet.
The Rio prison authority said it 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 her 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.
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.
According to local reports, Da Silva had planned to leave his daughter behind in his jail cell.
A spokesperson for Rio’s State Secretary of Prison Administration (Seap), said: ‘Clauvino was wearing a pink t-shirt with a black bra underneath, had long black hair, tight jeans, white sandals, a coat and glasses but even though he had the face of a girl, he didn’t move like a woman.
‘Officers were suspicious of his appearance, particularly as he was in the middle of seven other women visitors who were leaving the prison and who appeared to be deliberately surrounding him to shield him from being seen clearly by us.’
A video recorded by agents shows officers taking off the convict’s wig as he stands motionless with his hands behind his back.
