Malaysian authorities rescued more than 400 children and teenagers on Wednesday suspected of being sexually abused at charity homes run by a prominent Islamic business organisation with links to a banned religious sect, the top police official said.
Police arrested 171 adults, including ‘ustazs’ or Islamic religious teachers, during coordinated raids on 20 premises across two Malaysian states, Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said.
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Those rescued included 201 boys and 201 girls, aged between one and 17, after reports were filed this month that alleged neglect, abuse, sexual harassment and molestation, Razarudin told a press conference. He did not say who wrote the reports.
The homes were all run by Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB), Razarudin said.
GISB, a Malaysian firm involved in businesses ranging from supermarkets to laundromats, operates in multiple countries, including Indonesia, Singapore, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, …