KUALA LUMPUR: A nine-year-old boy has been tortured and abused by several members of a religious cult, including his parents.
The beatings with a cane intertwined with rubber, have resulted in ghastly keloids and scars on his back and buttocks.
Deep scars of abuse... Supt Aman reveals the scars on the boy's back at police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur
He was apparently beaten over several months at the cult's bungalow in Taman Taynton View, Cheras, as "punishment" for various alleged wrongdoings including theft, telling lies and sleeping during prayer sessions.
The abuse came to light when a relative of the boy, Teoh Yock Seng, 40, noticed the keloids and scars during a visit. He took the boy away from his parents and lodged a police report on July 20.
The boy, his parents and two other siblings have been staying at the rented bungalow which has been used as a prayer and meditation commune since last year.
It is learnt that the boy's two other siblings, an elder sister, 12, and a younger brother, four, had also been punished before, but not in a such a severe manner.
Besides the family, four other adults were living in the bungalow.
Cheras deputy OCPD Supt Aman Hussain said police arrested three men and a woman, aged between 20 and 43, on Wednesday.
"Police have classified the case as abuse and torture under Section 324 of the Penal Code," he told reporters yesterday.
Among the four arrested was the 43-year-old father. They are currently being remanded for five days, pending investigation.
Supt Aman said police would investigate the religious group to determine if the abuse was related to its activities or punishment meted out by parents.
It is understood that some members of the cult had left their previous high-paying jobs to earn RM500 a month working for the group.
Initial investigations found that the cult, which has about 30 members, has been around since 1995 and is led by a 43-year-old sifu (teacher).
Other than organising prayer and meditation sessions in the bungalow, the cult also owns an electrical shop in Cheras operated by several of its followers.
Supt Aman said police were looking for the victim's mother and the group's sifu.
Teoh told reporters the boy used to study at SRJK (C) Chin Woo in Jalan Stadium before he dropped out early this year.
He said the parents had prevented the boy from attending school because they feared that the school authorities might find out the extent of the injuries.
He also claimed that the group's sifu had taken more than RM18,000 before fleeing.
He said that some of the punishments meted out by the cult's leaders were extreme, adding that one person was made to mop the bungalow 13 times a day.
He said many of the members respected the sifu who was believed to be able to use charms and talisman from Thailand.
Counsel those involved in cult, schools told