A prison visit that was supposed to be a quiet delivery of food has blown open an escape plot after sharp-eyed officers at Ruai Police Station discovered jailbreak tools hidden beneath a plate of rice and meat.

Christine Njoki Gitau, 18, walked into the station reception with the confidence of an ordinary visitor, asking to see three friends being held over robbery with violence and gang rape. In her hands was a covered plate of rice and meat, which she claimed was simply a meal for the three suspects.

The three, Emmanuel Bosire, Ismael Arisa, and Brian Gatheru, are the same suspects arrested last week for allegedly operating an anonymous TikTok page to lure young women into meetings before gang-raping and robbing them of their valuables.

A cell sentry’s instincts, however, were sharper than Christine’s disguise.

A routine search through the food uncovered something far more sinister buried beneath the meal, a pair of pliers and a shear, cold-steel tools that would have given the suspects exactly what they needed to attempt an escape.

The plot was crushed before it could be set in motion.

Christine was immediately placed under arrest, and the plate of rice has since become the centrepiece of a widening investigation into who else may have been involved in the escape scheme.

The DCI reminded the public that aiding or attempting to aid an escape from lawful custody is a serious criminal offence that will be met with the full force of the law.