Immigration Breaks Up Document Scam, Arrests 7 and Seizes 372 Passports
The Department of Immigration has uncovered a highly coordinated human smuggling and document fraud syndicate operating in Zambia, resulting in the arrest of seven suspects and the seizure of 372 passports along with various forged documents and production equipment. Authorities believe the syndicate was facilitating illegal travel using fraudulent identity and academic documents for both Zambians and foreign nationals.
According to Mr. Namati H. Nshinka, Chief Public Relations Officer at the Department of Immigration, the investigation was triggered after Jean-Claude Sibomana, a 40-year-old Burundian refugee, submitted suspicious documents to a foreign embassy in Lusaka on behalf of a Zambian national. Sibomana was apprehended on Friday, August 1, 2025, shortly after his embassy visit.
He was found with a Zambian National Registration Card and a passport under the name Oscar Musonda, sparking immediate concerns about their authenticity.
Interrogation of Sibomana led officers to two additional suspects: John Zuze Peter (43), a suspected Congolese national, and Aristides Ngengurutse (34), a Burundian refugee. The two were arrested at a garage in Lusaka’s Buseko area. A subsequent search at Ngengurutse’s residence in Ng’ombe Compound uncovered two Burundian passports, a computer, a laptop, refugee documents, two mobile phones, and other materials. Officers also found a Ghanaian passport and a Zambian police report in his BMW X-Series vehicle, further deepening suspicions.
The investigation intensified with a search of the residence of Evariste Niyokwizera (41), a Burundian refugee living in the Kasupe area. Inside his Mercedes Benz, Immigration officers discovered a vast trove of travel documents suspected to be part of the fraudulent operation. These included 212 Burundian passports, 44 Zambian passports, 20 Zambian refugee passports, and additional passports from Rwanda (8), Nigeria (7), Cameroon (2), Bangladesh (1), and Zimbabwe (1).
At Afroconet Travel and Tours, a business owned by Niyokwizera on Cairo Road, officers seized even more suspicious documents. These included 28 Zambian passports, seven Zambian NRCs, two Zambian refugee passports, eight Burundian passports, 27 Congolese passports, two Sierra Leonean passports, two Kenyan passports, two South African refugee cards, and one passport each from Nigeria, Senegal, Rwanda, and South Africa. Two firearms and a computer were also confiscated from the premises.
The fifth suspect, John Mulinda Chiwenda (55), a Zambian national, was arrested on Saturday, August 2, 2025, at his shop located at Millennium Bus Station. During the search, officers recovered equipment suspected to be used in document forgery. These included two computers, a mobile phone, 36 assorted institutional seals (mostly for European and Asian universities), 106 rubber date stamps, 16 assorted rubber stamps, and several forged academic and identification documents. Authorities believe Chiwenda played a central role in producing false credentials used in fraudulent visa applications.
Two additional suspects were arrested in Ndola on Wednesday, August 6, 2025. One is a 35-year-old Assistant Registration Officer at the Ndola Passport Office, while the other is Augustine Phiri (31). Both are believed to have facilitated the illegal supply of forged passports and identity documents.
Preliminary findings indicate the syndicate was involved in the production and distribution of fraudulent documents used to secure visas and establish false identities for individuals traveling abroad. The operation reportedly spanned multiple countries and used a mix of genuine and forged materials to support its illegal activities.
All seven suspects remain in custody, while one more individual linked to the syndicate is being pursued. Due to the scale and complexity of the operation, the Department of Immigration has engaged other national security wings in the ongoing investigation.
Mr. Nshinka reaffirmed the department’s commitment to dismantling criminal networks involved in immigration fraud. He also urged members of the public to report any suspicious immigration-related activities to the nearest Immigration Office.
“We remain resolute in dismantling criminal networks that undermine internal security through fraudulent immigration practices,” Mr. Nshinka said.
