Malaysian National Police Chief Rizaruddin Hussein said children and young people, including 59 under the age of five, were rescued from foster homes linked to the Al-Ikhwan Services and Trading Company.
Hussein added that among the group was a boy who was seen being beaten with a stick and another child who was seen being trampled underfoot in video recordings posted online.
He also said that this brings the number of children under the age of 18 who have been rescued to 572 since the case against the group was opened earlier in the month, noting that police forces have arrested 156 other suspects for questioning.
Police say some of the children are believed to have been raped, trained to sexually assault each other, denied medical treatment and burned with hot metal spoons as punishment.
Medical examinations have so far confirmed that at least 13 teenagers were raped and 172 children suffered physical injuries and profound emotional damage.
Police said the victims were mostly children of the group’s employees, who had been placed in the homes since they were infants and were believed to have been indoctrinated from an early age to be loyal to the group.
The escalating police action against the Ikhwan Holding Company for Services and Trade came after the country’s king called for a swift police investigation and action in the case, which has shocked and angered the nation.
The group, which promotes an Islamic lifestyle, owns grocery stores, bakeries, restaurants, pharmacies and other businesses in Malaysia and abroad.
Its roots go back to the Al-Arqam Islamic sect, which was banned by the Malaysian government in 1994 as a heretical group.
Source: AP
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2024-09-25 14:38:53
