‘Abang kawasan’ extorting JB contractors

Jovial chat: Comm Ayob Khan speaking with Johor Baru City Council councillor Chan San San after the town hall session with community leaders and NGOs at the Johor Baru South police headquarters.

JOHOR BARU: Gangsters have been extorting contractors carrying out upgrading works at Sungai Segget, which flows across the city centre, causing fear not only among those on-site but also the project’s implementer.

The gangsters, commonly known as “abang kawasan”, have been approaching sub-contractors and foreign workers since the project started about three years ago, said Iskandar Regional Development Authority (Irda) integrity and governance unit vice-president Ahmad Faizal Ismail.