PETALING JAYA: Children were sodomised and forced to do the same to others at the 18 care homes in Selangor and Negri Sembilan that were raided by police.
According to Inspector-General of Police Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain, this was only the tip of the iceberg of the horrific abuses the children were allegedly subjected to at the homes linked to the Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB).
"They were forced to molest other inhabitants, this is what we gathered from intelligence and statements. Those who were sick were not allowed to seek medical attention until their condition became critical.
"There were a few children, aged five years old, who were burnt with a hot spoon when they made a mistake. The caretakers also touched the children's bodies as if to conduct 'medical checks'.
"Child victims and religious sentiments were used to gather sympathy and funds from the outside," he said.
Preliminary investigations also revealed that these children are not orphans. Many were placed in these homes as infants, with their parent’s knowledge and subjected to indoctrination under the guise of religious education, a practice Razarudin condemned as harmful.
He did not rule out the possibility of deaths linked to the syndicate's activities and added that a detailed investigation would be conducted into the matter.
Police rescued 402 children, comprising 201 boys and 201 girls, aged between one and 17, from the 18 care homes in a rescue operation called Ops Global.
Razarudin said 171 suspects, aged between 17 and 64, were arrested, including a teacher and dorm caretakers.
"All the victims will undergo health screenings before the documentation process at Pulapol Kuala Lumpur.
The IGP said that the operation was launched following reports lodged on Sept 2 over a case of child abandonment, sexual assault and molestation of children at a charity home in Port Dickson.
"Based on that the police opened eight investigation papers; four in Selangor and four in Negri Sembilan," he said.
The Port Dickson case that led to the large-scale operation saw six arrests aged between their twenties and forties.
He added that between 2011 and Sept 7 this year the police had received 41 police reports against the business group.
In a statement, GISB denied allegations linking the company to accusations of exploiting children as workers and vowed to cooperate with the authorities.
GISB said it would not compromise on any activities that violate the law.
It also described the accusations levelled against the company as malicious and a matter of prejudice, intended to create a negative perception.
“Our stance is very clear: we are committed to always adhering to the law and supporting the government’s aspirations in developing the country.
“We are ready to cooperate with the relevant authorities to resolve this issue,” they said on Wednesday.
