Rescue mission: A police officer inspecting a room in one of the homes. Two babies are seen on the bed. — Pictures courtesy of PDRM
PETALING JAYA: Residents in several districts in Selangor and Negri Sembilan were shocked when the police raided welfare homes linked to Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB).
According to them, there was a heavy police presence at these welfare homes yesterday but they did not expect a rescue mission to be carried out in the middle of their neighbourhood.
In Seremban, a resident living near one of the homes in Rasah, said he was surprised to see a police team present at the home early in the morning.
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The neighbour, who chose to remain anonymous, said a bus belonging to the police was parked in front of the facility at around 7am.
“Usually, there were activities at the home, but this time, it was different,” he said.
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The man said residents of the home, which had been in operation for some time now, were mostly made up of young girls.
The occupants were later taken away in the bus, and the premises locked up.
Major operation: The dilapidated conditions in one of the 20 homes that were raided in Selangor and Negri Sembilan.
Negri Sembilan women, family and community development committee chairman Noorzunita Begum Mohd Ibrahim said she had yet to receive any report regarding the case.
“The state Welfare Department has also not received any updates on it.
“We will inform the media when there are developments,” she added.
It was all quiet at one of the premises yesterday evening, with no police tape cordoning off the area. There were also no padlocks on the gates to the premises despite the earlier raids.
A nearby cafe, believed to be linked to the welfare home, was also shuttered.
On social media, it was rife with talk of the raids and netizens sharing their own experiences at various locations.
A user who went by the handle Nurul said there was a large police presence outside the supposedly raided premises.
“At about 6.40am, I saw more than 10 police officers in front of one of the schools.”
Sad discovery: Thin and old mattresses stacked up inside one of the homes.
Another user said they knew about the raid when they wanted to give alms to the home yesterday morning.
“There were so many police officers there and they told me I couldn’t go in as there was an ongoing case.
“May all the victims be protected,” said the user.
Other netizens praised the authorities for the bust but added that there could be more of such houses.
Meanwhile, Sinar Harian reported that the children from one of the Selangor care homes had almost never gone to school based on testimony from local residents.
“I have never seen those (the children) living in the care home go to school,” said a resident living near one of the care homes in Puchong.
Another local resident said they found the care home’s children behaving oddly whenever they spotted them outside the premises.
“They only socialised among themselves and rarely talked to people,” the resident said.
The police raided 20 welfare homes across Selangor and Negri Sembilan yesterday. Over 400 children were rescued from suspected abuse.
