KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 — Johor Baru authorities today descended on a contentious wall mural there with whitewash and rollers to remove the street art that they complained depicted the state as rife with crime.

A photograph posted on the JB Talks website showed what appeared to be a Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) team painting over the mural by street artist Ernest Zacharevic that depicted a Lego man wearing a ski mask and holding a knife waiting to rob a Lego woman carrying a “Chanel” bag.

Yesterday, two local painters took it upon themselves to add a Lego police officer with a pair of handcuffs to the mural, possibly to salvage the painting from the controversy.

MBJB corporate communications officer Aziz Ithnin yesterday said the council would issue written notices to owners of the buildings where the wall art are located, to paint over them.

Aziz described the “wall paintings” as “vandalism” and said the notices will be issued as soon as possible.

Zacharevic made the scene a couple of years ago with a series of wall art in George Town, Penang. The project was part of the George Town Festival 2012.

His wall art including the whimsical “Little Boy with Pet Dinosaur”, poignant “Boy on a Bike” and joyful “Little Children on a Bicycle” continue to draw crowds of people every day.

Zacharevic’s other drawings in Johor Baru depicts a couple looking at a large “tree” that is actually a patch of green moss on the wall and a water tank around a plastic pipe sticking out of a wall.