ALOR STAR: ALOR STAR: Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISB) business outlets here and in Jitra have ceased operations following police crackdowns on the group.
Checks by the New Straits Times in Jitra showed that Ikhwan Bakery, Ikhwan Motel, and Ikhwan Mart have shut down their businesses.
A local man, choosing to remain unnamed, said the businesses had been shut since Friday.
"They've closed everything since Friday. I suspect they're on the run. They even cleared out all their stock and equipment," he said when met at a premises in Jitra.
Meanwhile, in Alor Star, another man, who also wished to remain anonymous, confirmed, Ikhwan Corner, a restaurant linked to the group, had been closed for days.
"I was shocked to hear their alleged link to child abuse and sexual exploitation. Their restaurant has been shut since the news broke.
"What surprises me most is that I often chatted with the workers, and everything seemed fine. There was no hint of trouble," he said.
GISB is now the focus of a police investigation after raids were conducted on 20 welfare homes allegedly linked to the group last week.
The raids saw 402 people, some as young as 1-year-old, rescued.
Police said the victims had endured various forms of exploitation and abuse, including being sodomised.
GISB has since denied the allegations of child exploitation and sexual abuse.