Razarudin said police also arrested 171 people in the operation  conducted from 6am to 11am today.

“The rescued children will undergo health screenings, and we will document their cases. The procedures will be carried out at the Kuala Lumpur police training centre,” he told reporters at the Pahang police headquarters.

Earlier today, it was reported that Bukit Aman raided several welfare homes linked to a company in various parts of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

It is understood that the operation was carried out by the criminal investigation department’s anti-human trafficking and migrant smuggling division (Atipsom), Utusan Malaysia reported.

Razarudin said the 402 rescued children, consisting of 201 boys and 201 girls, were believed to be victims of both physical and sexual abuse, as well as abandonment.

He added that four investigation files had been opened, with one file having received instructions from the Attorney-General’s Chambers to proceed with charges.

“The charges for one of the investigation paper is under Section 31(1) of the Child Act 2001,” he said.

“Other investigations have been opened under Section 14 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, Section 354 of the Penal Code, and several other sections.”