KUALA LUMPUR: All the children rescued following police raids on 20 welfare homes allegedly operated by GISB Holdings Sdn Bhd have been screened.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said health screenings conducted by the Health Ministry were completed on Sunday.
"The screenings were conducted on 202 boys and 190 girls. Based on initial screenings, we found that the children need to undergo further checks, especially on their emotional health," he told reporters today.
He said that there were signs of child grooming, child abuse, neglect, child labour and malnutrition.
Razarudin said a total of 149 children who were rescued have been moved to shelters under the supervision of the Welfare Department.
"We will not divulge the locations of these shelters but I can say that we have obtained temporary custody orders on the 149 children.
"The remaining 243 children are currently placed at the Police Training Centre and will be transferred to shelters in phases," he said.
The IGP on Sunday told the NST that GISBH had been on the police watch list since 2011. He also said the coordinated raids at the homes were the culmination of a six-month probe to gather intelligence, build a case and formulate an action plan.
Razarudin had said that he met with representatives from the Research Centre for Deviant Teachings (Pukas) six months ago. Police, he said, had been monitoring the company even before the recent allegations of child exploitation and abuse went viral on social media.
GISB Holdings Sdn Bhd has since denied the allegations and any links to the case.