Brotherly love was put to the test this week after two 18-year-old identical twins swapped their clothing and traded places so that one could escape jail.
But prison and police officials were not impressed by the gesture when one of the brothers, serving a 10-month sentence for assault and robbery, walked out to freedom.
The inmate walked out of the Kronoberg Jail, which is located in the same building that houses the headquarters for Stockholm’s police department, undetected on Monday after a visit by his twin brother.
During a visit, the two siblings, neither of whom were named, managed to switch their outfits without anyone noticing.
Mixup
After visiting hours ended, the inmate walked out, pretending to be his brother. Faced with the prospect of spending the night in jail, his brother admitted the ruse to prison guards.
“We knew there was a certain risk of a mix up, so we took some measures,” said Lars-Aake Pettersson, the warden for the jail. “But this was apparently not enough. They managed to dupe us.”
The only noticeable difference between the two twins was a birthmark on the face of the one doing time, but that was taken care of with an ink pen.
The visiting brother was questioned and released, but could face charges of aiding in a prison escape.
His brother? Police said he was still on the run.