(Kuala Lumpur) Malaysian police said Saturday that a total of 355 people have been arrested in connection with their investigation into hundreds of cases of physical and sexual assault of children in foster homes in Malaysia.
The Global Ikhwan Service and Business Holding (GISB) is at the heart of the investigations, accused of having managed “hotbeds of horror” and maintained links with the banned Islamist sect Al-Arqam, which has since disappeared.
Those arrested include GISB CEO Nasiruddin Ali and 30 other members of the group, according to Malaysian police.
Raids were carried out on dozens of different locations: charity centres, health facilities, businesses, religious schools and private residences.
Police had announced the arrest of 171 people on September 11, including religious teachers and educators, and rescued more than 402 children after raiding 20 homes. Police believe they are children of GISB members, Inspector General Razarudin Husain said.
GISB had initially denied all accusations of violence and even said it did not manage the centres involved in the western states of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.
But Nasiruddin Ali acknowledged on September 14 sexual violence, “one or two cases of sodomy” in the homes, rejecting allegations of a system of mass violence.
“Unimaginable Horrors”
According to medical reports, at least 13 children were sexually abused, Razarudin Husain said.
On Tuesday, he announced the freezing of 96 accounts linked to GISB containing approximately $124,000.
The scandal has fuelled concerns about the fate of children in foster care and the regulation of charities in the country.
UNICEF, the UN agency responsible for defending children’s rights, condemned the “unimaginable horrors” experienced by the young victims.
These children “will need long-term medical and psychological help,” Robert Gass, UNICEF’s representative in Malaysia, commented on Thursday.
The Al-Arqam sect was dissolved in 1994 for its doctrine deemed deviant. The GISB has since been in the crosshairs of religious authorities in the Muslim-majority country.
Those in Selangor state have said they are closely monitoring the activities of the GISB, saying they remain “vigilant of any fact leading to deviations from true Islamic teachings.”
In 2011, the group created a “club of obedient wives” who were ready to sexually satisfy their husbands to prevent them from cheating on them.
According to its website, GISB is an Islamic holding company that operates businesses ranging from supermarkets to restaurants in several countries, including Indonesia, the United Kingdom and France.