A gang leader made a daring bid to escape from prison by dressing as his teenage daughter when she visited him behind bars.

Claudino da Silva, 42, known as “Shorty”, pretended to be 19-year-old Ana and planned to leave her behind in the jail, to tell guards she was heading home after visiting hours.

Wearing a mask to make his skin appear smooth, the Brazilian wore a long black wig and glasses as part of the disguise.

He also put on a pink T-shirt with a cartoon image of doughnuts and lovehearts, and tight jeans and tried to walk out of Gericino prison in Rio de Janeiro.

But Da Silva, who is serving a 73-year sentence for his involvement in a drug cartel, was rumbled.

Prison officers get the gang leader to take off his elaborate disguise in Brazil

Prison guards noticed him “becoming nervous” and became suspicious when he asked for the return of his daughter’s ID card. Guards filmed as he slowly removed the costume, which also included a padded black bra.

Authorities later shared a video in which Da Silva could be seen removing the mask and some of the clothes while saying his full name.

Ana is now being investigated as a possible accomplice in the attempted escape.

Describing the breakout attempt as “an act of despair”, the authorities are looking into whether Ana smuggled in the outfit.

Following his escape bid, Da Silva was transferred to a special unit of a maximum-security prison and will now face disciplinary sanctions.

Officials said he was a leader of one of Brazil’s most powerful criminal groups.

How the inmate really looks when he's not dressing up as his daughter

He was part of the feared Red Command, who controlled most of the drug trade in Rio.

In 2013, he and 31 other prisoners tried to escape the Gericino prison complex through sewers – in a plan copied from hit film The Shawshank Redemption.

He and three other gang members made it out but he was rearrested in Rio the following month.