LUSAKA, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- A senior Zambian government official has warned immigration officers involved in corrupt activities, saying they would be dealt with because they were tarnishing the image of the country's Immigration Department, the Times of Zambia reported on Tuesday.

Minister of Home Affairs Lameck Mangani said in Lusaka on Monday that he had been receiving reports on some immigration officers who were engaged in vices, adding that the government would not hesitate to deal with such officers.

"If you engage in corruption you will cut your careers short when you are caught. You should not take advantage of an individual because of your position," Mangani was quoted as saying by the paper.

The Zambian Minister said when he visited the Immigration Department headquarters in Lusaka that "they were some bad elements in the department" and warned them not to distort the image of the entire department.

Some immigration officers have been nabbed trying to help prohibited immigrants. Last week, a senior immigration official in northern Zambia was nabbed for trying to help illegal immigrants enter the country.

According to Mangani, the department was critical in running national affairs because it handled foreign nationals who came to the country, adding that they should ensure that foreign national shad proper documents.