Five suspected victims of human trafficking escape from police custody

The five Eritreans escaped from a police station in Embakasi.

Police have launched a manhunt for five Eritreans who allegedly escaped from custody.

A police report seen by Nation, says that the foreigners were suspected victims of human trafficking.

Police said they noticed the Eritreans were missing in the police cell during meal time.

Further investigation revealed that the five excused themselves t use the bathroom and escaped as police thought they were taking a shower.

Recently, Kenyan authorities submitted a finding to their counterparts in the Netherlands on the operations of a Dutch national of Eritrean descent who is accused of running a human trafficking syndicate in Kenya.

The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) said the suspect was arrested at Schipol International Airport in Amsterdam.

The suspect, John Habeta, had on several occasions managed to escape police dragnets across the globe.

Interpol said that the suspect used to facilitate travelling of the Eritrean nationals by use of fake identity documents.

It has emerged that the five Eritreans who managed to escape from Embakasi station have been stranded in the country since January when Habeta was arrested.

Habeta used to smuggle human beings from Africa to Europe, Kenyan police through the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said.

The DCI said that he was linked to several operations within the country where groups of Eritrean nationals were smuggled into Europe through Asia.

“Immediately after his arrest, he was extradited to the Netherlands on orders from the Ministry of Interior,” the statement read.

Since then the National Police Service (NPS) declared war against people who engage in such criminal activities saying that Kenya was not a haven for international fugitives.