KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) intensified its crackdown today, arresting several key individuals associated with Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holding (GISBH), including the company’s top management, in operations conducted in Kedah and the capital.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said the top management personnel were among 19 individuals arrested by the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department’s (CID) D8 (Special Operations), D14 (Organised Crime) and the Special Integrated Investigation Team, in simultaneous raids at four residential units in Bukit Bintang here, early this morning.
Those detained, consisting of 12 men and seven women, aged 25 to 65, were remanded for seven days, starting today, to assist in the investigations into child exploitation and trafficking.
The case is investigated under Section 32 (a) of the Child Act 2001, Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and Section 14 of the Anti-Human Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Smuggling Act.
The arrests followed the detention of five individuals, including the son of the company’s CEO, in Bukit Kayu Hitam yesterday as they attempted to flee to Thailand.
The police also seized two motorhomes bearing the company’s logo which were believed to be used to flee to neighbouring country.
The five individuals, aged 30 to 41, were also remanded for a week at the Shah Alam Court, Selangor today.
Razarudin when contacted by Bernama assured that police would continue the investigation involving GISBH in stages.
In Seremban, three teaching assistants of a madrasah in Kuala Pilah pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here to 14 charges of sexually abusing five children in 2022 and 2023.
Muhammad Habib Noh Mohd Zairi, 21, Muhammad Khunais Fathie Khabil, 20, and Ahmad Nadzful Izham Azizan, 22, made the plea after the charges were read separately before Judge Datin Surita Budin.
They were charged under Section 14 (a) and Section 14 (b) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
Thus far, five individuals connected to the company have been charged in court for various offences related to their involvement with the organisation.
On Sept 12, a 19-year-old girl was charged with four counts of physical abuse against four girls, aged five and six, at a daycare centre in Seremban, last month.
The charges were framed under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 and can be punished according to Section 31(1) of the same law, if convicted.
Yesterday, a businessman Mohamad Riza Makar, 39, was charged at the Putrajaya Magistrate’s Court for making criminal threats against a woman on Sept 9 and the charge was framed under Section 506 of the Penal Code.
Bukit Aman CID conducted operations under the ‘Global Op’ since Sept 11 by raiding 20 welfare homes in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan linked to GISBH and managed to rescue 402 children and teenagers – 201 boys and 201 girls – aged one to 17.
Two days ago, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, instructed the police to carry out an immediate and comprehensive investigation into the alleged criminal activities and child abuse, linked to GISB welfare homes.
