Police in Kenya are keeping in custody three form two girls on suspicion that they were planning to poison fellow classmate in a row over boyfriend.

The three, who are in Form Two at Makueni Girls High school and all aged 15, allegedly planned to poison their classmate, also aged 15, using chemicals stolen from the school’s laboratory last Thursday, local media reports.

One of the accused students had recruited two of her friends to help her punish the intended victim after accusing her of snatching her boyfriend who is a student at the neighbouring Makueni Boys.

According to the school principal who reported the matter at Makueni Police Station, the key suspect had requested her two friends to help her ‘punish’ the victim.

The disagreement among the three suspects prompted one of them to snitch to their class prefect details of the shocking plan.

According to the girl, the trio had stolen hydrochloric acid, Benedict’s solution and phenolphthalein indicator and had designated one of them to lace the would-be victim’s plate with the poison as the other two kept vigil.

“One of them was to execute the plan by lacing the victim’s lunch meal with one of the chemicals namely phenolphthalein indicator while the other two kept vigil,” said police.

The plan failed when the executor refused to execute it, thus leading to a quarrel.

The three suspects are being held at Makueni Police Station as investigations into the allegations continue.