Malaysian police on Thursday arrested the chief executive of a company allegedly linked to a cult that is under investigation over accusations of physical and sexual abuse involving hundreds of children.
Police said over 400 boys and girls, aged between one and 17, were rescued during raids last week on welfare homes allegedly run by Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISBH) in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.
When contacted, police chief Razarudin Husain confirmed to This Week in Asia that GISBH chief executive Nasiruddin Ali was among 19 suspected members of the group who were arrested during predawn raids on four houses in Kuala Lumpur.
The 19 were brought before a court in Shah Alam, on the outskirts of the city, for a remand application in the afternoon, according to a media notice sent out by police.
Razarudin was earlier quoted by local broadcaster Astro Awani as saying that the suspects were aged between 25 and 65 years old and included seven women.