Early morning raid: Bukit Aman police personnel and officers inspecting five double-storey houses, believed to be where GISB members were living in.
GOMBAK: Police raided the headquarters of the Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB) two days after top guns of the company, including the chief executive officer, were detained.
During the raids at a commercial centre in Bandar Country Homes, Rawang, yesterday, more than 20 people were detained while several children were rescued.
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The latest arrests were among 155 individuals, including 77 women, suspected of being involved with GISB rounded up by the authorities under a nationwide crackdown.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said 82 premises were raided, including care homes, clinics, business premises and houses under an operation codenamed Ops Global yesterday.
Razarudin said in a statement that the police and the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia seized various items, including books that have elements of deviant teachings.
“A total of 186 victims, consisting of 102 men and 84 women, including a boy who was being punished by a man, believed to be a GISB member shown in a viral video, were also rescued in the operation,” he said.
The IGP said 2,528 police officers and personnel as well as 1,273 personnel from other agencies were involved in the raids.
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“We believe the GISB members have fled as some of the premises were empty. We urge those who have been victimised or have information on activities linked to GISB to come forward as soon as possible,” he said.
The large-scale operation involved police from the Selangor police contingent and the Federal Reserve Unit along with personnel from other agencies such as the Selangor Islamic Religious Department and Selayang Municipal Council (MPS).
All those rounded up were taken to the state police headquarters for the documentation process. They were aged between seven and 50.
The operation started at 6.30am yesterday with the inspections of several shops, including a printing shop, a clinic, a hotel, a bakery, a workshop, a media centre and a restaurant, believed to be linked to GISB.
MPS also demolished several illegal structures and seized other premises including an equestrian track.
Similar raids were also conducted in other states, including Kelantan, Penang and Melaka.
Earlier at Bandar Tasik Puteri, Rawang, more than 50 Bukit Aman police officers and personnel along with the Welfare Department conducted inspections at five double-storey houses, believed to be where GISB members were residing at 5.30am.
The houses were located in a gated and guarded residential area but the occupants were nowhere to be seen.
At one of the houses, believed to be a care home that houses at least 20 children, there were bags of packed clothing as well as a row of children’s bicycles parked on the porch.
The same house also has more than 10 quails in a coop while the back area was renovated into a bathing area.
A neighbour, who refused to be named, said he often saw children living in one of the houses and playing in a nearby playground.
“Before this, they often gathered at the playground or in the compound of the house.
“However, they have not been seen since Thursday. A few cars parked in front of the houses were also missing,” he said.
In Kota Baru, Kelantan, three houses believed to be residences of the senior management families of GISB in Kampung Panji were raided.
Police found about 30 individuals, including the second wife of a senior GISB management member residing in the houses, along with more than 20 children.
Authorities also seized various books and documents related to GISB, which were buried along the riverbank, with some of the materials already burnt, believed to avoid detection.
It is learnt the houses had been tenanted by GISB members for decades, with a high turnover of occupants.
Since Sept 11 to 19, Razarudin said 200 individuals have been detained under Ops Global.
Among those arrested were 17 GISB top management, who were detained on Sept 18 and 19 in Kuala Lumpur, Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Kelantan and Kedah.
From the total, 139 individuals have been remanded while 23 others have been released on police bail.
Meanwhile, Kelantan Mufti Datuk Mohamad Shukri Mohamad said the state would only declare the teachings in GISB as deviant if they were similar to the teachings of the banned Al-Arqam.
He said further investigation and evidence are required before any decisions could be made.
“I will bring up this issue at the Muzakarah Committee of the National Council of Islamic Religious Affairs which will be held in Kuala Lumpur at the end of this month.
“If there are matters arising or new features in GISB, then a new fatwa will be issued,” he told Bernama.
On Friday, after a meeting chaired by Perlis Mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, the state Fatwa Committee declared the teachings and beliefs espoused by GISB as deviant and a continuation of the banned Al-Arqam movement.
