Home from a job that was not the job: two Zambian women repatriated from India over alleged exploitation, as Immigration removes 193 foreign nationals in a single day

Two Zambian women have been brought home from India after what the Department of Immigration describes as allegations of labour and sexual exploitation. The department's chief public relations officer, Namati Nshinka, set out the case in a statement issued in Lusaka on Saturday 24 October and reported by Zambia Monitor, News Diggers and the Zambian Observer.

According to the statement, the two women travelled to India in July 2026 for employment but found themselves doing work different from what had been agreed. They sought refuge at the Zambian Embassy, which arranged their return. Immigration officers received them at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, News Diggers giving the date as Thursday 15 October, and handed them to officers from the Department of Social Welfare and the Anti-Human Trafficking Department. The department has not named the women, and nothing in the statement as reported indicates that anyone has been charged in connection with their treatment. News Diggers' headline described the case as sex trafficking; the department's own wording, as quoted by all three outlets, refers to allegations of labour and sexual exploitation.

A technician from Dubai, and 193 removals

Zambia Monitor reported that on the same day the department received a Zambian man deported from Dubai for unlawful stay. He had left Zambia on 29 March 2026 and, according to the statement, had been working as a technician at Amazon. The Zambian Observer described him as having overstayed his authorised visit.

The statement also disclosed a large removal operation. On Thursday 22 October the Department of Immigration in Lusaka removed 193 foreign nationals: 164 Burundians, 22 Tanzanians, four Rwandans and three Ugandans. Some had been convicted of immigration offences and had paid court-imposed fines; the others were removed administratively, Zambia Monitor and the Zambian Observer reported.

The department's advice

Nshinka used the statement to warn Zambians looking for work abroad to exercise due diligence, particularly with recruitment agents whose credentials cannot be verified. Prospective migrant workers were urged to obtain clearance from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and to check the employer, the contract and the destination country's immigration requirements before leaving, so as to avoid exploitation and trafficking.

Sources: Zambia Monitor, “Two Zambian women repatriated after alleged exploitation in India” (24 Oct 2026); News Diggers, “2 Zambian women return from India after sex trafficking” (25 Oct 2026); Zambian Observer, “Zambia deports 193 foreigners as two Zambian women return from India over alleged sexual exploitation” (25 Oct 2026).