They are called “hotbeds of horror.” Malaysian police announced on Saturday, September 21, the arrest of 355 people as part of their investigation into hundreds of cases of children who were victims of physical and sexual abuse in foster homes across the country.
Inspector General of Police Razarudin Husain said the suspects were arrested during an operation targeting members of Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holding (GISB). The Islamic conglomerate is accused of managing the houses and having links with the now defunct banned Islamist sect Al-Arqam. Among those arrested were GISB’s chief executive Nasiruddin Ali and 30 other members of the group.
According to Razarudin Husain, the police raided 82 different locations: reception centres, health facilities, businesses, religious schools and private residences. During this operation, some 186 victims were rescued, he said.
A first wave of arrests on September 11
The GISB initially denied all allegations of violence and even said it did not run the centres involved in the western states of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. But Nasiruddin Ali admitted on 14 September to having committed sexual violence and rejected accusations of a system of mass assaults.
Malaysian police had already arrested 171 people on September 11, including religious teachers and educators, and rescued more than 402 children after investing in around twenty “terror centres”. She believes they are children of GISB members, said Razarudin Husain. On Tuesday, she announced the freezing of 96 accounts linked to GISB containing approximately 124,000 dollars (111,000 euros).
