Police question Lombok `prophet'

MATARAM: Police in East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara province, are investigating a religious sect in Sambelia village, Sambelia district in East Lombok.

The probe into "spreading deviant teachings" comes after the sect's leader reportedly proclaimed himself a prophet and claimed to have ascended to heaven twice previously.

"The Sambelia and East Lombok police are currently investigating the case there," provincial police spokesman Comr. Tribudi Pangastuti told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The sect, called the Istijenar Taksa Gunung Rinjani, is currently the focus of a joint-task-force probe by the East Lombok regency administration.

A 70-year-old man identified only as B.K.R. is believed to be the leader of the group, and was questioned Tuesday by an investigating team formed by the regency administration and the East Lombok Supervision of Religious Movement in Society (Pakem), at the Sambelia district administrative office.

B.K.R. reportedly claimed to have received divine the power needed to perform the ascensions, and to have heard the voice of the archangel Gabriel.

The investigating team leader and also assistant of administrative affairs at the East Lombok regency administration, Muhasim, said after the questioning that B.K.R. had denied ever claiming to be a prophet, but had insisted he had twice ascended to heaven, in 1975 and 1997. - JP