Detectives have arrested an 18-year-old woman after police allegedly found a pair of pliers and shears concealed beneath a plate of rice and meat she had taken to three suspects held at Ruai Police Station. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the tools were discovered during a routine inspection of food brought for the suspects on Tuesday, September 15. According to the agency, the items were allegedly intended to help the three men escape from custody. The woman was arrested at the station as detectives began investigating the alleged attempt to facilitate an escape.

According to the DCI, the woman arrived at the police station carrying a plate of rice and meat and requested to see three friends who were being held over allegations of robbery with violence and gang rape. A routine search by the cell sentry led to the discovery of the pliers and shears hidden underneath the food. The DCI said the discovery prevented the suspects from obtaining tools that could potentially have been used to interfere with their custody. The agency has not said whether an actual escape attempt had begun or whether the suspects had access to the tools before officers recovered them. Investigations are continuing to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged plot and whether other people were involved.

The three men receiving the food have been identified in media reports as Emmanuel Bosire, Ismael Arisa and Brian Gatheru. They are being held over allegations linked to an anonymous TikTok account that investigators say was used to contact and lure young women into meetings before they were allegedly robbed and sexually assaulted. The allegations against the three men have not been determined by a court, and they remain suspects in the case. The DCI previously announced their arrest as part of investigations into the alleged robbery and sexual assault scheme. The latest incident has now added a separate investigation into whether there was an organised attempt to help them escape from lawful custody.

The arrest of the 18-year-old woman is expected to form part of the wider investigation into the alleged escape plan. The DCI has warned that assisting or attempting to assist a person to escape from lawful custody is a criminal offence. The agency said investigators would continue examining who may have been involved in obtaining or delivering the tools. The incident also highlights the security checks applied to food and other items brought into police custody areas. For now, the woman remains under investigation over the alleged attempt, while the three men continue to face the separate robbery and sexual assault allegations for which they were initially detained.