The Jakarta Police on Friday denied stalling in bringing to court several cases of alleged sexual assault by a renowned traditional healer. The alleged offenses took place about eight years ago but were only recently reported.

Eleven men, who were youths at the time of the alleged assaults, claimed that the healer, Habib H., told his patients he needed to touch their genitals to remove evil spirits.

"It's not that we're taking a long time, but our investigation techniques require time," said Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto. "I think in fact we haven't had enough time yet.

"We have to be careful – this is a sensitive matter," he added. "We have to gather evidence in which perceptions match."