Agus Imam Solihin, leader of the Satrio Piningit Weteng Buwono sect has turned himself in to police, who were looking for him because of the sect's questionable practices.
Agus reportedly advised sect members to engage in orgies and may have contributed to the death by negligence of a sect member, when Agus ellegedly insisted on healing the ill man himself at the sect's meeting house.
South Jakarta Police chief Chairul Anwar said Thursday Agus has been detained since Wednesday night, but wa refusing to say anything about the sect without an attorney at his side.
"He said he did not want to spend the rest of his life a fugitive," Chairul said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.
The police are charging Agus with indecency, which carries a maximum sentence of nine months in jail.
"We are investigating whether the sect is misguided. We are going to consult with the Religious Affairs Ministry, the Home Ministry, the Attorney General's Office and the Indonesian Ulema Council, " he said.
On Monday the police raided a house where sect members usually gathered in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, after one follower, Ratna, 33, had died the previous week.
Sect member Eko said the leader had stopped some members from bringing the ailing Ratna to the hospital for treatment, saying only he could cure Ratna's illness.
Other members later protested against Agus' decision after the sick man died, at which point Agus fled. (dre)
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