'Houses of horror' sex abuse care home chiefs 'hid behind global Islamic business network' before 400 children were rescued By Olivia Christie and Afp Published: 06:13 EDT, 23 October 2024 | Updated: 06:27 EDT, 23 October 2024 e-mail 5 View comments A Malaysian conglomerate under investigation for child abuse and money laundering eluded authorities for years by hiding behind a thriving global Islamic business network, according to police and the company's now-offline website. Horrific allegations of child sexual assault came to light in September when police first rescued more than 400 youngsters from care homes operated by Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB). Malaysian police chief Razarudin Husain has said that at least 13 youngsters under 17 suffered sexual abuse in what the media has dubbed as the 'houses of horror'.
The group ran more than 100 care homes in the Muslim-majority Southeast Asian nation where children as young as one year old were housed. 'They basically exploit religious belief, and this is not unusual. A lot of cults operate like this.
.. It's a form of social engineering,' Munira Mustafa, executive director of security consultancy Chasseur Group in the capital Kuala Lumpur, told AFP.
Nasiruddin Mohamad Ali, CEO of Global Ikhwan Services and Business (centre) arrives at court in Kuala Lumpur Police raid a care home under investigation for sexual abuse of children 'It's just them being very adept at leveraging the potential vulnerabilities that exist .