29 alleged illegal immigrants, thought to be of Burundian ancestry, were hiding out in a house in Chirundu when it was searched by the police and the Department of Immigration.
Initial investigations revealed that the immigrants were set to be smuggled into Zimbabwe, according to a joint statement from Immigration acting public relations officer Josephine Malambo and police deputy spokesperson Danny Mwale.
“Around 06:00 hours, Police Officers received a tip-off from a concerned member of the public that illegal immigrants were accommodated at a house in Mission Compound in Chirundu District.
Police alerted Officers from the Department of Immigration and together moved in following the report and 29 suspects aged between 10 and 40 believed to be Burundians were apprehended,” reads the statement.
It was further revealed that nine of them are women, the youngest of them is a juvenile aged 10.
Twelve Burundian nationals who entered Zambia between January 7 and January 9 through the border crossing operated by Zombe Immigration were among those detained, according to further investigations.
On January 10, 2023, 13 people with bogus Tanzanian travel documents entered Zambia through Mbala, and four of them are foreigners without legal status.
“They are currently at Immigration offices in Chirundu undergoing screening process,” reads the statement.
