The Zambia Police Service has launched investigations into the alleged theft of 1,335 boxes of Horse Mackerel fish valued at US$75,525, approximately K1.36 million, which reportedly disappeared while being transported from Namibia to Kasumbalesa Border in Chililabombwe District.
According to Copperbelt Police Commissioner Rae Hamoonga, the consignment allegedly went missing between August 13, 2026, when it was loaded in Namibia, and August 25, 2026, when the truck was reportedly found abandoned near Kasumbalesa Border Market.
Truck Found Abandoned, Fish Missing
The matter was reported to Kasumbalesa Police Station on August 26, 2026, at around 17:00 hours.
Police say the report was made by Hardson Chiti, aged 34, a company director of RENGRO Limited, which operates offices in Lusaka and at Kasumbalesa Border.
The company had reportedly ordered 1,335 boxes of Horse Mackerel, with each box weighing 20 kilogrammes, from a fisheries company in Namibia.
The consignment was loaded onto a refrigerated truck and trailer bearing Namibian registration numbers N282-282WB and N285-282WB and was destined for the company’s warehouse in Kasumbalesa.
However, police say that after the truck reached the Kasumbalesa area on August 25, the Zimbabwean driver allegedly stopped responding to calls from his employers.
The following day, the truck was reportedly discovered abandoned near Petroda Filling Station in Kasumbalesa, but the driver was nowhere to be found.
More significantly, police found that the entire consignment of 1,335 boxes of fish was allegedly missing.
Driver and Unknown Persons Suspected
Commissioner Hamoonga says the driver and other unknown individuals are strongly suspected of involvement in the alleged theft.
Police have since opened a docket and launched investigations to establish how the consignment disappeared and to identify everyone who may have been involved.
Preliminary information obtained from the Immigration Department at the Chirundu One Stop Border Post reportedly indicates that the driver exited Zambia on August 26, 2026, at approximately 13:03 hours.
As of the latest update, no arrests have been made and the stolen fish has not been recovered.
The investigation is ongoing.
