In a coordinated intelligence-led operation, police detectives have rescued two teenage girls aged 13 and 14 who had been reported missing from Meru County, successfully thwarting a suspected cross-border child trafficking network.
The minors, who had disappeared separately from their respective homes, were located inside a house in Moi Township, Mashuuru, Kajiado County. According to authorities, the rescue occurred just moments before the girls were to be covertly transported across the border into Tanzania.
The joint security operation brought together officers from DCI Imenti Central, the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB), and DCI Mashuuru. Their swift action led to the arrest of three key suspects linked to the ring: Magdalene Mwikali Miya, Emmanuel Stephen Leiyan, and Deoglacious Damas, a Tanzanian national.
Preliminary checks revealed that Damas was residing in Kenya without valid immigration documentation. All three suspects remain in police custody undergoing official processing ahead of their court arraignment.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations confirmed in an official statement that the operation successfully saved the juveniles while ensuring the perpetrators were apprehended to face legal charges.
The two rescued girls have been placed under the care of the local Children’s Officer and are undergoing mandatory medical examinations and psychosocial assessments while reunited safely with authorities.
Detectives are actively investigating the precise circumstances surrounding the girls’ initial disappearance from Meru to determine how they were recruited or abducted. The DCI expressed gratitude to members of the public whose timely tips and information proved crucial in tracking down the location and saving the minors.
