A Cameroonian individual, whose name is yet to be disclosed, has been arrested alongside 76 others in Lusaka, Zambia, on charges of internet fraud.
Among the detained are 22 Chinese nationals.
This operation followed a raid on a Chinese-run company in Lusaka, conducted by the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), the police, the immigration department, and the anti-terrorism unit.
Nason Banda, the director general of the Drug Enforcement Commission, stated, “It came after months of intelligence gathering by the agencies following an alarming rise in internet fraud cases in Zambia.”
Golden Top Support Services, the Chinese company implicated in the fraud, had employed Zambians aged between 20 and 25 years. These individuals were tasked with “engaging in deceptive conversations with mobile users across various platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, chatrooms, and others, using scripted dialogues.”
During the raid, authorities confiscated 11 sim boxes, 13,000 sim cards, two firearms, 78 rounds of ammunition, and two vehicles.
“These enable them to be used for fraudulent activities, including internet fraud and online scams,” said the DEC director general.
The scam network, which police investigations reveal extended beyond national borders, has led to an increasing number of Zambians losing money from their bank accounts through money-laundering schemes.
While Zambian nationals have been charged and released on bail to assist in further investigations, the 22 Chinese nationals and the Cameroonian suspect remain in detention.
Mimi Mefo Info – Cameroonian arrested in Zambia
