Authorities in Kenya reported on Tuesday that a suspect who had confessed to being involved in the discovery of dismembered bodies in the nation’s capital has escaped police custody.
Mohamed Amin, the head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, stated that Collins Jumaisi Khalusha escaped along with 12 other inmates who had been apprehended for being in the country illegally.
Acting police inspector general Gilbert Masengeli announced that disciplinary measures have been taken against eight officers, including those responsible for overseeing the area and the station, as well as officers who were on duty.
“Our initial investigations indicate that the escape was facilitated by individuals within the system, given that officers were deployed appropriately to guard the station,” he said.
A police report revealed that the inmates escaped early Tuesday morning after cutting through wire mesh in their cell and scaling the perimeter wall. The escape was discovered during breakfast delivery to the cell.
Khalusha, 33, was being held at the police station after a court granted detectives an additional seven days to investigate his alleged crimes before formally charging him.
Khalusha was apprehended in July after the discovery of 10 bodies and numerous body parts wrapped in plastic sacks in the Kware area of Nairobi.
Police stated that Khalusha confessed to killing 42 women, including his wife.
“This was a high-profile suspect who was to face serious charges. We are investigating the incident and will take appropriate action,” Amin said.
Khalusha’s lawyer, John Maina Ndegwa, informed journalists that his client had been subjected to torture and coerced into confessing, maintaining his client’s innocence.
Ndegwa told that he last spoke to Khalusha on Friday when he was presented in court.
“I’m equally surprised by the news,” he said.
The police station from which the suspects escaped was cordoned off with crime scene tape, and senior police officers visited the site on Tuesday afternoon.
Two other suspects who were apprehended after being found in possession of cellphones belonging to some of the deceased women are scheduled to return to court next Monday.
Police in July stated that the bodies were discovered after relatives of a missing woman claimed to have had a dream in which she directed them to search in a quarry.
The relatives sought the assistance of a local diver, who discovered the bodies wrapped in sacks. Six bodies were identified through DNA testing, but several body parts remain unidentified.