A former beauty queen has been arrested over alleged rental fraud in Thailand.

Ex-pageant contestant Patty Techinee, 43, had posted online ads renting out a house for cheap in a prime location in the Huai Khwang area of Bangkok.

An interested lessee contacted Techinee and wired her the rental fee, but when asked to show proof of property ownership, she suddenly stopped replying allegedly without reimbursing the money.

Police, acting on an arrest warrant issued on November 29, tracked down and arrested Techinee at her apartment in the capital city on January 16.

Police Major General Montree Thetkhan, commander of the Crime Suppression Division, said she will be charged with fraud and unlawful importation of forged computer data into a computer system resulting in harm to others.

The policeman said: 'Officers have interviewed the complainant in detail and collected evidence. They want their payments returned, but they also want the suspect to be punished, so that they cannot do this again to others.'

Techinee, a local businesswoman, allegedly admitted to the crime and said she was driven to commit fraud because of financial problems with her business.

Officers said she also had three other warrants for similar scams in Phuket, Chumphon, and Bangkok.

Police Major General Montree said: 'The suspect was a famous person in the business community because. The victim thought she was trustworthy because she owned a restaurant and pub in the area and had competed in beauty pageants before. She was taken to the Huai Khwang Police Station for further legal action.'

Techinee had previously joined Mrs. Universe Thailand, a pageant for married Thai women, in 2017.