Malaysian police have rescued more than 400 minors from charity homes amid allegations of sexual abuse. The operation, which took place on Wednesday, involved coordinated raids on 20 locations across two states and resulted in the arrest of 171 adults, including Islamic religious teachers.

The rescued children, consisting of 201 boys and 201 girls aged between one and 17, were reportedly subjected to various forms of abuse, including neglect and sexual harassment.

This rescue operation followed reports filed earlier this month that raised concerns about the treatment of these children.

The homes were operated by Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB), which has been linked to a banned religious sect known as Al-Arqam.

Although GISB denied the allegations of abuse and stated they did not manage the homes, police investigations indicated that many of the rescued children were employees’ offspring sent to these facilities shortly after birth.

Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain revealed that the children were allegedly indoctrinated and trained to perpetuate abusive behaviors towards others.

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The police are investigating the case under laws pertaining to sexual offenses against children and human trafficking.

Authorities plan to conduct health screenings for the rescued minors as the investigation continues, highlighting the misuse of religious sentiments for fundraising and public sympathy by the organization involved.