Seven agents from the provincial Migration Service in Manica province have been arrested in Zimbabwe for attempting to extort mining operators. They were released through diplomatic negotiations.

The Mozambican agents went to Zimbabwe in a Mahindra police vehicle, license plate AMO-041-MC. They entered the country through the Penhalonga region, in the Manica district, and headed for a mine belonging to a Chinese national.

The mine owners refused to accept the extortion and informed the Zimbabwean police, who arrested the Mozambican officials in the act. The Mozambican agents had allegedly been tortured in Zimbabwe.

Investigations are underway to ascertain whether the Mozambican migration agents were actually arrested on the Zimbabwean side because the Chinese citizens were carrying Mozambican documents.