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Seventy-nine people have been apprehended in a joint security operation targeting a suspected cybercrime network operating from Evana Estates in New Kasama, Lusaka.
The operation was conducted on August 23, 2026 by the Zambia Police Service, Drug Enforcement Commission, Department of Immigration, Zambia Cyber Security Agency and other security institutions, authorities said Sunday.
This is according to a joint statement issued in Lusaka by Department of Immigration Chief Public Relations Officer Namati Nshinka, Police Spokesperson Godfrey Chilabi and Drug Enforcement Commission Public Relations Officer Allan Tamba.
Nshinka, Chilabi and Tamba said the raid followed a tip-off from members of the public regarding suspicious activities at the premises.
Of those arrested, 35 are Ugandans, 11 Chinese, 10 Zambians, 8 Kenyans, 6 Ghanaians, 5 Liberians, 2 Burundians, 1 Chadian and 1 Zimbabwean national.
The joint team seized a large cache of equipment including 73 desktop computers, 6 laptops, 140 mobile phones, 5 Starlink kits, 2 external hard drives, 10 new SIM cards and 75 passports, according to the statement.
“During the operation, the joint team seized 73 desktop computers, six laptops, 140 mobile phones, five Starlink kits, two external hard drives, 10 new SIM cards and 75 passports,” reads the statement.
Security agencies also recovered K21,490, US$10,450 and assorted foreign currencies from the premises.
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Preliminary investigations suggest the location was being used by a newly established and highly organized network suspected of conducting cyber-related criminal activities.
“The full nature, structure, scale and extent of the suspected criminal activity, including its possible links to other individuals or networks within and outside Zambia, remain under investigation,” authorities said.
The statement further indicated that investigators were examining possible human trafficking elements linked to the recruitment and treatment of some foreign nationals.
Preliminary information suggests that some individuals may have been recruited under deceptive circumstances, while the freedom of movement of some foreign nationals may have been restricted.
“Consequently, possible elements of human trafficking or exploitation cannot, at this stage, be ruled out,” the trio noted.
The Department of Immigration is verifying the immigration status of all foreign nationals apprehended and preliminary checks found that 6 of the Ugandan nationals were illegally staying in Zambia, with verification of the rest ongoing.
All 79 suspects remain in custody as investigations continue and the joint team said it was working to establish the masterminds behind the network and any other persons connected to it.
The joint team said further details would be provided as investigations progress and when appropriate.
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