KUALA LUMPUR: Some of the girls rescued during Op Global were uneasy in communicating with male investigating officers.
Federal Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said these were some of the challenges faced during the multi-phased operations against charity homes run by Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB).
"The children were confused when the operation occurred in September.
"Aside from visible signs that the children were malnourished based on their size, our personnel also observed that some of the younger girls who were rescued were terrified to communicate with the male personnel," he told TV3 during a special BuletinTV3 Edisi Khas podcast today.
He said the girls were comfortable interacting with the other male followers and children, but when it came to policemen they showed extreme levels of fear.
"Issues involving mahram (involving the open communication between men and women) arose. So, we had to swap the male police personnel to female police personnel," he said.
He said issues involving the issue of the children being separated from their families did not arise as even the younger children showed high levels of independence.
"They would hear the call to prayer and stop what they were doing, and even tell our officers to stop what they were doing and join them in prayer.
"It played on the heartstrings of the police personnel, being parents, and watching just how independent some of these children were. They could wash their own clothes and even bathe themselves," he said.
He said questions about the children being separated should not have become an issue at all.
"Immediately after the children were rescued, the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain called on parents to come forward and there was hardly any response at that time.
"What we noticed was that after the investigations were completed and prosecutions made, some parents started showing up.
"They must understand that this is not a boarding school where they can merely show up and bring their children home. There is a court order (involving the custody of the children) and procedures must be followed," he said.
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Police began their operations against GISB on Sept 11 through Phase 1 of Op Global which saw them rescue 402 minors from alleged exploitation.
The 201 boys and 201 girls from 18 charity homes in Selangor and two in Negri Sembilan were rescued between 6am and 11am.
Police investigations into some of the welfare homes raided led to claims of alleged sodomy and abuse against the children.