Police were today searching for the alleged killer of a prostitute who was found brutally murdered over a tangled love affair in Thailand.

Rattana Thamrak, 32, had reportedly welcomed multiple men regularly into her room at the Malee Apartment in the Thai 'Sin City' Pattaya before she was found dead on May 20.

Apartment cleaner Suwapetch, 61, found the corpse after residents complained of a foul odour on their floor. She knocked on Rattana's door, but opened Ratta when there was no response, opened it with a spare key and was greeted with Rattana's bloated cadaver decomposing inside.

Pattaya cops inspected the scene and said the bloated body had been dead for around five days. There were multiple stab wounds on the victim's body, including one behind her right ear, another on her nape, five on the face, three on the left shoulder, and one more on her left palm.

Officers said there were broken shards from a photo frame and traces of blood on the bed indicating signs of a struggle. The murder weapon has not yet been found.

Three suspects have now been detained as part of the police investigation as they hunt for the last man seen on CCTV visiting Rattana.

Police Colonel Thanapong Phothi, superintendent of the Pattaya Police Station, said: 'The suspects were all involved in a romantic relationship with the victim. However, we cannot divulge more information about the murder motive at this stage of the investigation.'

Rattana was last seen on CCTV footage on May 16 at 1 am wearing a yellow t-shirt and brown shorts as she walked to her room on the third floor. She was followed by a man in a dark shirt who arrived at 4 am. The man left alone at 9 am and rode away on his blue Honda Wave motorcycle.

He was identified as Wacharapol Ansongkram, 39, or 'Kik Kilosib', and is being treated as the primary suspect in the case, being the last person to see the victim alive. He is also believed to have been in a relationship with Rattana.

Police are still tracking him down and said he had already deactivated his social media accounts and not used his phone.

The maid at the apartment told cops Rattana was known for being 'cheerful and good-looking' and the last time she saw her was on May 14, which coincided with general election day.

However, on the evening of May 16, she heard a loud argument between a man and a woman on the third floor, but upon checking, she found nothing unusual except for some blood stains on the stairs, which she assumed were from a fight between cats, so she cleaned it up.

Friends also told police that Rattana worked as a bar prostitute before she left to work alone. She was 'very attractive' and had several boyfriends, the friend said.

Rattana's brother Amnart Thamrak, 28, said that police had told him the murder was due to a love affair with one of the many men she has involved me.

He said: 'Our family have been assured by the police that the culprit responsible for the crime will be apprehended and face legal action.

'We are deeply saddened by the loss of Rattana, particularly our mother, who has been calling her repeatedly. She has been crying every day.'

Rattanad's devastated mother, Samran, said: 'My daughter was planning to come home. Now I will never see her again.

'The last two months she had been in a lot of trouble and needed me to send her money. I just wanted her to come back so I could take care of her.'

The brother believes that Rattana had become involved with drugs. One of the last men to visit her also claimed he had supplied her with drugs.

Police said an arrest warrant for murder has been issued from Pattaya Provincial Court for Wacharapol Ansongkram over his alleged involvement in the death.

Police Colonel Thanapong Phothi added: 'We believe that the fatal wound was situated behind Rattana's right ear, but the forensics police will conduct further investigations to confirm this.

'There are currently three suspects at that moment, all of whom had been involved in a relationship with the victim. It was a complicated situation with different love affairs, money and drugs.'