The family of a Malaysian man, who died under unusual circumstances in a condominium unit where he was apparently locked in from the outside, suspects that it was the landlady who was involved.
The man was found dead in the unit and he was believed to not have been paying his rent on time in the final few months of his life.
The man's death was discovered by a neighbour who noticed a foul smell coming from the unit and called the police.
The deceased was reportedly reduced to skin and bone when found.
The landlady, however, denied the family's accusation and said she had tried calling the man and looked for him at the unit prior to his death.
She said she had only put a chain over the unit's gate after assuming that the man had moved out.
Tenant of 18 years
The landlady told Sin Chew Daily that her late tenant, a ride-sharing driver in his 40s, had rented the unit for the past 18 years.
The unit is located in Petaling Jaya.
She described her tenant as a quiet man who would pay his rent on time on the first week of each month.
The man would usually meet her in a mall or at her house to hand her the rent in cash.
The rent initially cost RM800 but was increased to RM1,000 in last two years, the landlady told the Malaysian media.
The unit was rented out empty with no furnishings, such as furniture.
Out of respect for her tenant's privacy, she claimed to not have checked on the condition of the unit in the past 18 years, nor was she aware of the man's living conditions.
The landlady said the man had last contacted her in March 2023, saying that he would be late when paying the rent as he had met with a car accident in Johor.
Tried contacting the man
The landlady told reporters that she called the man more than 30 times since then.
She said she did get through to him, but there was apparently no answer.
Photo via Sin Chew Daily
She also visited the unit several times to try to find the man, but no one came to the door.
Assumed the man had moved out
The landlady added that she could not enter the unit as there were two padlocks installed on either side of the front gate.
Photo via Sin Chew Daily
The landlady said she assumed the man had moved out of the unit, and on Jul. 2, she added a metal chain to the gate.
She said she only realised something was amiss after receiving a call from the police.
Family wants to sue the landlady
The man's family members have engaged a lawyer to sue the landlady for allegedly locking the man up, and attributed his death to her actions.
They also believe that the landlady had locked the man up after he failed to pay the rent for three months.
While the family are of the opinion that the man had died of starvation, the police said an autopsy suggested the cause of death was a heart attack, The Straits Times reported.
The family also believed that the man couldn't call for help as his phone's SIM card had run out of credits.
On the contrary, the landlady said she does not understand the family's accusation as the man could have sought help from the neighbours as the unit balconies in the condominium were close to one another.
The man could also have sought help from the people at the ground floor too, she added.
The landlady said the man's family had come to collect his personal documents, items and car on Jul. 29.
The landlady's lawyer confirmed the tenant had been uncontactable for three months prior to his death.
Under normal circumstances, his family and friends would have tried looking for him after he was not heard from, it was also noted.
The lawyer called on the deceased's friends and colleagues to come forward if they have more information about the late tenant before his death.
The lawyer representing the deceased's family said the landlady should not have chained up the gate.
Instead, she could have initiated legal action against her tenant.
Top photos from Sin Chew Daily News