BN's Johor Baru MP Shahrir Samad said the authorities had overreacted when they removed a mural by artist Ernest Zacharevic highlighting crime in the city.

According to a report by Sin Chew Daily today, Shahrir said he was surprised by the action and that the mural should have been preserved.

jb mural duplicate 161113 01He added that the artwork had conveyed the message of "justice" and had also prompted a creative reaction from the public who added new touches to the mural.

The mural showed a Lego woman carrying an expensive Chanel bag while another Lego mugger waits around the corner, ready to pounce.

Lego is a popular brand of toy bricks that can be assembled to represent all kinds of objects.

Members of the public later added to the mural a Lego cop attempting to arrest the mugger.

However, local authorities then deemed the artwork "inappropriate" and removed it. But this only prompted the mural to reappear at more than a dozen other locations in the form of supersized stickers.

In a separate report, Johor Baru mayor Ismail Karim said the respective property owners where the murals have reappeared must clear them within a week or face a fine.

However, he said the local government will build a special wall for such artwork at Linear Park.

"The wall is intended for graffiti and the public can use the wall to express their thoughts," he said.