Zambia arrests 23 suspected Bangladeshi migrants in coordinated police operations

The Zambia Police Service has arrested 23 suspected illegal immigrants believed to be Bangladeshi nationals following coordinated operations in Chisamba District and Lusaka, police said on Wednesday. Police Spokesperson, Godfrey Chilabi, said the operation began on February 18 along the Chisamba–Chipembi Road, where officers acting on intelligence intercepted a grey Isuzu vehicle suspected of transporting migrants. Two Zambian drivers, identified as Reuben Banda, 40, and Shadrick Tembo, 20, were apprehended, and a search of the vehicle led to the arrest of 13 suspected Bangladeshi nationals.

In a separate operation the same morning in Kabanana Compound in Lusaka, officers detained 10 additional suspected illegal immigrants, bringing the total to 23. A Toyota Fortuner allegedly used in the offence was impounded, though its driver fled and remains at large. “All suspects are currently in police custody, and the motor vehicles used in the commission of the offences have been impounded,” Chilabi said, adding that the Department of Immigration had joined the investigation.

He said police remained committed to dismantling criminal networks involved in transnational organised crime. In a separate incident, police launched a manhunt for Fredrick Zulu, 34, of Chalala in Lusaka, in connection with the stabbing of his wife on February 16. The 30-year-old woman was taken to Chilenje Level One Hospital and is in stable condition.

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Chilabi said Zulu fled the scene with the couple’s two-year-old daughter. He appealed to the public to assist in locating the suspect, urging anyone with information to contact the nearest police station or call the emergency hotline 9010. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.

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