PETALING JAYA: A total of 402 children rescued during a recent police raid on 20 welfare homes are believed to be the children of members of GISB Holdings Sdn Bhd, according to Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain.
According to New Straits Times, he stated that the preliminary investigations after the raids on homes in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan on Wednesday indicate that the children are the offsprings of members of GISB.
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The 171 suspects initially arrested by the police have since been remanded for a week.
“The homes that were raided have been temporarily closed and might be seized as the course of investigation progresses,” he told the English daily.
“Based on our investigations, the children rescued are all believed to be children of GISB members.
“We remanded the 171 suspects to help with further investigations into the case,” he stated.
In addition to the criminal investigation, authorities are also working closely with relevant ministries and agencies to ensure the well-being of the rescued children.
He mentioned that the rescued children, who were previously home-schooled, will be assessed by the education ministry to determine their educational needs.
Police are also investigating allegations of sodomy and abuse against the children.
Some victims reportedly were sodomized by their caregivers and forced to engage in sexual acts with other children.
“We want to check if these homes were registered and had valid documentation,” he said.
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“From there we may be able to check if other offences were committed.”
He added that medical evaluations and potential DNA sampling are being conducted.
“We may also take DNA samples. We know that these children were fathered by GISB members.
“Health ministry and welfare department representatives are currently on site at the police training centre where the children have been currently placed,“ he said.
On September 11, a total of 171 individuals were arrested today following police raids on 20 children’s homes across Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, linked to GISB alleged to be exploiting children under the guise of religious charity.
The operation known as “Op Global,“ took place between 6 am and 11 am and among those arrested were 66 men and 105 women, aged 17 to 64, who served as caretakers, religious teachers and chairpersons of the homes.
As a result of the raids, 402 children - 201 boys and 201 girls, aged between one and 17 years were rescued.
