filbet Child abuse probe: Malaysian firm GISB has 10,000 followers still practising deviant teachings, says police chief

KUALA LUMPUR: A conglomerate linked to a massive child abuse case that has rocked Malaysia has about 10,000 followers - including children - across the country, the police said on Monday (Sep 23).

Police chief Razarudin Husain added that initial investigations also found that the followers of Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB) are still practising teachings of the Al-Arqam sect that was declared deviant in 1994. 

This was based on the discovery of material such as books and leaflets among those arrested this month. The sect’s leader Ashaari Mohammad died in 2010.

“We need to verify this number from our investigations,” Inspector General of Police Razarudin said during a press conference on Monday (Sep 23). 

The police have also seized and frozen close to RM5 million (US$1.1 million) in cashfilbet, vehicles and bank accounts, in addition to more than a dozen lots of land.

Photos of evidence collected by Malaysian police during their raids linked to GISB displayed during a media conference in Kuala Lumpur on Sep 23, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Fadza Ishak)

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