The first wife of a Perak prince has been arrested in connection with the murder of his younger second wife, a former model and actress, local media reported today.

Middle-aged Raja Nor Mahani Raja Shahar Shah was remanded in custody for four days after a brief court appearance yesterday for questioning over the death of 26-year-old Hasleza Ishak, the New Straits Times said.

Both women were married to Raja Jaafar Raja Muda Musa, 62, second in line to the Perak state throne, with Hazleza joining the family in January this year.

Five men have been charged with murdering Hasleza, whose body, clad in jeans and a tank-top, was found under a bridge on Oct 11 five days after she was abducted from her car near her home in the central town of Ipoh.

Raja Nor Mahani was arrested yesterday afternoon at her palace.

'Very upset'

Photographs of her leaving court were splashed on the front pages of newspapers today, which reported that she had appeared calm at the court proceedings.

Her lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, told reporters however that she was "very upset with the whole thing".

The Perak royalty is among traditional Malay rulers in nine Malaysian states. The position of king is rotated every five years among the nine rulers.

Murder carries the death penalty. AFP