Five Eritrean nationals suspected to be human trafficking victims escaped from police custody in unclear circumstances on Tuesday night October 18, 2022.
The foreigners had been detained at the Embakasi police station awaiting repatriation.
Police officers who were in charge of the prisoners reported that the Eritrean nationals went to take a bath within the station. However, it was around 10 pm when they realized that they were missing, after they found their buckets and clothes left at the washrooms.
“The buckets and their clothes were however left at the washrooms. A manhunt has been launched for the foreigners,” a senior police officer said.
Nonetheless, a senior police officer noted that they have launched a manhunt for the five foreigners.
Likewise, Kenyan authorities submitted a finding to their counterparts in the Netherlands on the operations of a Dutch national of Eritrean descent accused of running a human trafficking syndicate in Kenya.
The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) reported that the suspect was arrested at Schipol International Airport in Amsterdam.
Furthermore, the suspect, identified as John Habeta, had on several occasions managed to escape police dragnets across the globe.
According to Interpol, the suspect facilitated travelling of the Eritrean nationals by use of fake identity documents.
Also Read: The Blossoming Illegality: Inside the Kenya-Uganda Human Trafficking Racket
Moreover, it is alleged that five Eritrean nationals who escaped from Embakasi police station have been stranded in the country since January when Habeta was arrested.
Kenya police through the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) also noted that Habeta used to smuggle human beings from Africa to Europe.
According to the DCI, Habeta 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) sought to hunt down people who engage in such criminal activities saying that Kenya was not a haven for international fugitives.