Police have arrested a 60-year-old landlady on suspicion of stealing HK$500,000 (US$64,000) worth of Japanese anime figurines from a tenant after a dispute over rent.

According to Apple Daily, the landlady surnamed Ma was arrested after her tenant reported that 25 bags of Gundam models — depicting the giant robots from the popular anime series — had gone missing from his apartment in Yuen Long.

The 45-year-old tenant, surnamed Chan, filed the police report at around 7pm on Saturday, telling officers that the gate to his 200 square foot apartment in the village of Tai Kei Leng Tsuen was broken.

Suspicions soon fell on the landlord who, according to the newspaper, had a fractious relationship with Chan who moved in eight years ago.

After initially paying his rent to the suspect’s younger sister, Chan began dealing directly with Ma at the end of last year when she became the rent collector and decided to up the rates.

Chan, according to the newspaper, refused to pay the increased fee and went on giving the same amount. Things went on like this until April when Ma stopped his electricity and water supply, bills for which she reportedly failed to pay, according to on.cc.

With the utilities out, Chan eventually moved to another apartment but left in the flat his 400 Gundam figurines, amassed over 20 years of collecting.

Several of the models, worth between HK$800 to HK$1,200 each (US$102 to US$153), were limited editions and no longer available in shops.

And, when he returned after two months away from the notably untidy flat if videos online are anything to go by, they were gone.

Barrister Albert Luk told Apple Daily said that even if a tenant fails to pay rent, landlords can still be charged with burglary if they enter the premises and clear property.

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