DCI foils jailbreak plot as pliers found hidden in rice for TikTok gang-rape suspects

Police officers have foiled a planned jailbreak at Ruai Police Station after they found escape tools hidden inside a plate of food meant for three remanded suspects.

Police say Christine Njoki Gitau, 18, arrived at the station reception requesting to see three men held over robbery with violence and gang rape. She was carrying a plate of rice and meat, which she said was a meal for the suspects.

A cell sentry conducting a routine check on the food found a pair of pliers and a shear buried beneath the rice and meat.

Officers say the tools were intended to help the three suspects break out of custody. Gitau was arrested on the spot.

Police say the case is now part of a wider investigation into who else may have been involved in planning the escape.

The suspects and the case against them

The three men she had come to visit, Emmanuel Bosire, Ismael Arisa and Brian Gatheru, are being held over an alleged gang-rape and robbery scheme run through an anonymous TikTok page.

Detectives from Ruai say the account was used to contact and lure young women into in-person meetings.

According to investigators, victims were led to secluded or abandoned locations, where they were allegedly sexually assaulted and robbed. Some were reportedly forced to transfer money via M-Pesa to accounts linked to the suspects, while others had phones and other valuables stolen.

The three suspects, Emmanuel Bosire, Ismael Arisa and Brian Gatheru, were arrested on September 9 in the Benedicta area of Ruai.

Police recovered six mobile phones and two hooded jackets allegedly used to conceal the suspects' identities during the attacks.

Five victims from Buruburu, Embakasi and Ruai have since positively identified the trio. Detectives say they are still tracing additional victims and pursuing other individuals who may be linked to the gang.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations says helping or attempting to help anyone escape lawful custody is a serious criminal offence, and that those found doing so will face the full force of the law.

The DCI has also renewed its caution to the public, particularly young people, about meeting strangers first encountered online. Officers advise arranging first meetings in safe, public settings and ensuring a trusted person knows one's whereabouts.