KUBANG PASU: There was no sign of child or teenage labour being employed at three premises owned by Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB) Pekan Tanah Merah, Jitra here, according to residents.
The residents said they only saw adult workers working at a motel, bakery and a convenience shop operated by the company in a double-storey shoplot row here.
A resident who wished to be identified only as Rafiq said he did not notice anything amiss in the premises' operation.
"As far as I am concerned, there are no children or teenagers being employed at these premises," he said.
Another resident, a frequent visitor to the GISB bakery shop, agreed that she had never seen the presence of children or teenagers working at the outlet.
"I have always bought cake and bread from the bakery as they are of good quality.
"However, since there have been so many negative reports about the company, I decided to skip going there for now," said the woman, who only wished to be identified as Ida.
Meanwhile, checks at the premises showed that things were quiet.
A worker at the bakery said they were preparing an order from a customer.
He declined to comment about the recent raid by police on 20 welfare homes linked to the company in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.
It was reported that police rescued 402 minors from alleged exploitation during the massive crackdown across the two states on Tuesday.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain was reported as saying that the children aged between one and 17, were allegedly exploited and abused.
He said police have also rounded up 171 individuals including caretakers, ustaz (religious teachers) and the chairmen of the premises during the raids.