Police Are Looking For Thugs For Extortion Of Sidewalk Sales To Tanah Abang Street Vendors

The Tanah Abang Metro Police have started hunting for thugs who are involved in illegal levies (extortion) who are suspected of selling sidewalks to satay taikchan traders along Jalan KH Mas Mansyur, precisely across the Sudirman Citywalk, Karet Tengsin Village, Tanah Abang District, Central Jakarta.

"We are looking for ( thugs) together with the Satpol PP (the perpetrators)," said the Tanah Abang Metro Police Chief, Kompol Patar Mula Bona when confirmed by VOI, Wednesday, November 1.

Furthermore, the Tanah Abang Metro Police have also coordinated with the Tanah Abang sub-district to handle viral videos of alleged extortion in the sale of sidewalks.

"We have coordinated with the sub-district (Tanah Abang). We are looking for it," he said.

Previously, it was reported that the function of the sidewalk at night had turned into a commercial business area that was misused by street vendors. Worse, traders are willing to pay a sum of money to thugs who control the sidewalk area to be able to sell.

As happened on Jalan KH Mas Mansyur, precisely across from Citywalk Sudirman, Karet Tengsin Village, Tanah Abang District, Central Jakarta.

In this area, a number of satay thaican traders began to fill it at night. They admitted that they were charged a fee to sell by a number of thugs in order to set up tents and carts on the sidewalk.

In fact, the illegal levies (extortion) reached Rp. 5 million from each trader. The incident also resulted in a commotion between traders and unscrupulous people who were suspected of selling sidewalk stalls. Traders feel cheated because they are evicted by other extortion groups who have also received payment for the sidewalk rental.

The commotion was caught on an amateur camera and uploaded to the Instagram account @kameraperistiwa. In the recording, there was a commotion between two groups suspected of being traders and thugs.

"That means the money is not back, right?" said one of the traders in the video recording.