KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian police have arrested 155 more suspects in connection with the investigation into Child abuse allegations at nursing homes linked to Muslim conglomerate
A total of 77 women were among those arrested on Saturday (September 21) in raids on 82 welfare homes, clinics and businesses, local media reported.
This brings the total number of arrests to 355, after Inspector General of Police Razarudin Husain announced earlier on Saturday that 200 people had been arrested so far in the ongoing investigation known as Ops Global.
Among the 200 people present, 31 members of Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB) are among the key figures of the organization.
Police say GISB is linked to a banned religious sect. Founded in 2010, the conglomerate owns bakeries, convenience stores and other businesses in Malaysia and elsewhere, with assets totaling about 325 million ringgit (US$75.6 million) worldwide.
LATEST ARRESTS
Saturday’s arrests took place in 82 locations across Peninsular Malaysia.
“We also rescued 186 victims, including 102 men and 84 women. Among them were several children who were filmed being allegedly beaten by members of the company,” Razarudin said, according to the New Straits Times.
In Melaka, 24 people, including 19 minors, were rescued from a house, the Malay Mail reported.
Police raided 20 shelters in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan earlier this month, rescuing about 400 children who were allegedly victims of abuse, some sexual.
The rescued children ranged in age from 1 to 17.
“Initial investigations revealed that the victims were not only sodomised by the guards, but were also taught to perform a similar act on other children in the home,” Razarudin said, as reported by the New Straits Times on September 11.
“They were punished with heated metal objects when the victims made mistakes and the suspects touched the victim’s body parts claiming that it was part of religious medical treatment.”
