KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 — Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain revealed today that initial investigations estimate that there are around 10,000 followers and members of Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISBH) nationwide, including children.

He also said that its followers are believed to still be practising teachings of the deviant Al-Arqam movement — based on the discovery of the banned Aurad Muhammadiah book and supplications or "zikir” that form the basis of their faith and worship of the cult’s leader Ashaari Muhammad.

"We believe, and from our intelligence and statements that we have received, GISBH still practices the teachings of the ‘Aurad Muhammadiah’ because there are ‘Abuya’ books and their own ‘zikir’,” he told reporters at a press conference here.

Razarudin also alluded to the possibility of investigating GISBH followers under the controversial Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) 2012.

"Now, we don’t have ISA (Internal Security Act 1960) but we have many laws that we can use. We can use Atipsom (Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007), we can use Sosma if the offences fall under Sosma,” he said.

35 investigation papers opened

The police have rescued 575 victims and have opened a total of 35 investigation papers to date, including under Section 31(1) of the Child Act 2001 for ill-treatment, neglect, abandonment or exposure of children.

Through the same phase of operations, the police arrested 156 individuals aged 18 years old and above.

Other investigations fell under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, Section 12 and 14 of Atipsom, Section 6 (1) © of the Immigration Act 1959/63, Section 298 of the Penal Code and Section 8 of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.

Further, Razarudin said the police are investigating an individual under Section 506 of the Penal Code for criminally intimidating Perlis Mufti Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin.

On Friday, Perlis State Fatwa Committee officially declared the beliefs and teachings of Global Ikhwan Service and Business Holdings (GISBH) as deviant.

The police are also probing whether the ordinary employees of GISBH were actually enslaved by the company and whether they were only paid for their daily expenses.

GISBH is currently under media spotlight for being at the centre of a multi-agency investigation for a slew of criminal activities, including child sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and promoting Islamic deviancy under the Al-Arqam movement that was banned in 1994.

In its fourth phase of investigations, police found and seized numerous publications relating to the Al-Arqam movement.