Malaysia arrests hundreds in child abuse investigation

Inspector General of Police Razarudin Husain said on Saturday the suspects were arrested as part of an operation to find the remaining members of Global Ikhwan Service and Business (GISB), which police believe has links with a banned Islamic sect.

Among those arrested were GISB leader Nasiruddin Ali and 30 other members of the group.

Police raided 82 buildings, including charitable homes, clinics, shops, religious schools and private homes, Razarudin said.

At least 186 victims were rescued during the operation, he added.

On Tuesday, Razarudin said authorities had frozen 96 accounts linked to the group with total assets of about $124,000.

The GISB has long been controversial because of its links to the now-defunct Al-Arqam sect and is under surveillance by religious authorities in the predominantly Muslim country.

Malaysian authorities banned Al-Arqam in 1994 because of its deviant teachings. In 2011, GISB members founded a “Club of Obedient Wives” that called on women to be “whores in bed” to prevent their husbands from cheating.

The company’s website states that GISB is an Islamic company that operates businesses ranging from supermarkets to restaurants and operates in several countries, including Indonesia, France and the UK.

Police assume that the 402 minors in the care homes are all children of GISB members, Razarudin said.

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