Nairobi — Detectives have rescued two girls reported missing in Meru County and arrested three suspects in what investigators believe was a suspected cross-border trafficking operation that was intercepted moments before the children were allegedly taken into Tanzania.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the intelligence-led operation culminated in the rescue of the girls, aged 13 and 14, in Mashuuru, Kajiado County, after an intensive multi-agency investigation.

The two minors had disappeared from their homes on separate occasions, prompting frantic searches by their families.

Their disappearance was first reported at Kariene Police Station, where investigators from DCI Imenti Central immediately launched investigations.

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"Teaming up with detectives from CRIB and DCI Mashuuru, they trailed the missing girls to a house in Moi Township, Mashuuru, just moments before they were about to be ferried across the Kenya-Tanzania border," DCI said.

The operation led to the arrest of Magdalene Mwikali Miya, Emmanuel Stephen Leiyan, and Deoglacious Damas, a Tanzanian national who police said was found to be in Kenya without valid immigration documents.

The three suspects remain in police custody and are being processed pending their arraignment in court.

The rescued girls are undergoing medical examinations and receiving support from the Children's Department as detectives continue investigations to establish the circumstances surrounding their disappearance and determine whether a wider trafficking network was involved.

The DCI credited members of the public for providing information that proved critical to the success of the operation.

"The DCI extends its heartfelt gratitude to the vigilant members of the public whose invaluable information played a crucial role in this successful operation," the agency said.