KUALA LUMPUR: Police believe Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB) have 12 'quarantine' centres including two located in Indonesia and Turkiye.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said this was based on the investigation of the claims made by the Malaysian Centre for the Study of Deviant Teachings (Pukas), which suggested on its Facebook page recently that GISB owned several quarantine centres in various locations both locally and abroad.
It claimed that these centres were used to indoctrinate and "take action" against problematic members.
Razarudin, however, said based on their current investigations, no elements had been found to suggest that these locations were used as quarantine centres.
"Based on our investigations, 10 of these centres were located in Malaysia while two others were in Indonesia and Turkiye.
"Three of these centres were raided on Sept 21 while the remaining seven were not operating," he said when contacted today.
He also confirmed that three locations in Perak, Selangor and Johor raided last month were allegedly used as quarantine centres by GISB.
The three quarantine centres, said Razarudin, were located in Air Bintan, Kota Tinggi in Johor; Labu Lanjut, Sepang in Selangor; as well as Batu Hampar, Perak.
All these premises, he said, were raided by the police on Sept 21.
According to Pukas, Al- Arqam founder Ashaari Muhammad introduced a method of punishing members of the congregation by banishing or isolating those who are considered problematic to a remote place.
During the quarantine period, members were not allowed to talk or mingle with anyone. They were placed in a special area or small room for self reflection.
These practices were claimed to have been inherited by GISB and the quarantine centres were said to be placed in remote areas on land belonging to GISB.
Pukas claimed there were cases where individuals had been quarantined for years.
Problematic members were required to read the Aurad Muhammadiah after every prayer session and were allegedly served only 'cekodok', porridge or rice mixed with salt and were considered lucky if they were served curries.
Those sent to quarantine centres were allegedly psychologically abused and forced to confess every sin or misdeed ever committed.
These sins would be recorded by the supervisor of the quarantine center to be handed over to the GISB leader.
It was reported that police were investigating claims by Pukas suggesting that the GISB owns several quarantine centres in various locations both within and outside the country.
Razarudin said the investigation followed a post made by the centre on its Facebook account.
On Sept 11. the police rescued 402 people, some as young as one, from GISB-linked welfare homes who had endured various forms of exploitation and abuse, including being sodomised.
GISB has since denied the allegations of child exploitation and sexual abuse.