Christine Njoki Gitau had become a familiar face at Ruai Police Station, turning up with hot meals for her boyfriend and two others who were in custody over allegations of using a TikTok account to lure minors into robbery and, in some cases, gang rape.
Emanuel Bosire Arisa, Brian Gatheru Nderitu and a third suspect who is a minor have been in court-sanctioned police custody for over 10 days, as detectives complete a probe in which at least six victims have identified them as the perpetrators.
Ruai Sub County Criminal Investigation Officer Henry Kinyua said that the court allowed police to hold the three for 21 days, as investigations were concluded.
The suspects are said to have first approached the victims on social media, and drawn them into conversations and eventually into romantic relationships.
Once trust was established, the suspects allegedly invited the victims for sleepovers or outings.
After the victims has consumed alcohol, the victims were tricked into secluded areas, one of them a quarry, where they were robbed and for some, gang raped.
Brian Gatheru Nderitu (left) and Emanuel Bosire Arisa who are in police custody and are believed by detectives to be part of a gang accused of luring underage children through TikTok.
Photo credit: Pool
Since the 21-day police custody order, Ms Gitau kept showing up, usually at around 3pm, bringing food for the three suspects. But on Tuesday, her visit took an unexpected turn.
The 18-year-old had packed rice and beef in a Tupperware container when she walked into Ruai police station.
For individuals visiting guests of the State with food, they are required to either taste it or stir it in the presence of a police officer.
On Tuesday, Ms Gitau broke her pattern when she refused to taste or stir the food in the Tupperware container.
That prompted the cell sentry officer to intervene. Mr Kinyua explained that the officer “instinctively took the spoon from her and scooped” the food. That’s when they discovered the pliers and the tin snips.
Under Kenyan law, it is an offence punishable by up to seven years in prison.
Ruai Police Station in Nairobi County.
Photo credit: File | Nation
Mr Kinyua said the pliers and the tinsnips could have been intended either to maim other suspects in custody or to help the three escape.
A police sentry on duty then insisted on stirring the food. His move uncovered aluminum foil under the rice and beef.
On checking inside the foil, he found pliers and tinsnips – tools that can easily be used to break out of a cell such as the one holding the three robbery and gang rape suspects.
The police “still had quite a number of days” Mr Kinyua said, before taking them back to court.
“Our cells normally have grills. Maybe, they were targeting [that],” he added.
For Ms Gitau, however, the attempted delivery could have consequences far beyond Tuesday’s lunch, Mr Kinyua warned.
“She is a young girl and I think, she has just messed up her life,” Mr Kinyua said of Ms Njoki.
The DCI, in its account of the incident, described the discovery as a near jailbreak thwarted by a routine check.
“A routine scoop through the food led to a shocking discovery: buried beneath the meal lay a pair of pliers and a shear, cold-steel tools meant to aid the escape of the three suspects,” the DCI said on X (formerly Twitter).
“In an instant, a jailbreak-in-waiting was crushed before it could hatch. Christine was placed under immediate arrest, her plate of deception now the centrepiece of a widening investigation into who else may have had a hand in the plot,” the DCI added.
