The first wife of a Perak prince was released today after being detained for a week in connection with the murder of her husband's younger second wife.

Raja Nor Mahani Raja Shahar Shah, 60, ( photo ) a former teacher and mother of two, was arrested in the palace last Thursday for questioning over the death of 26-year-old Hasleza Ishak, an ex-model and actress.

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. Muslim men in Malaysia are allowed to take four wives.

No reasons

Raja Nor Mahani's lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah was quoted by Bernama news agency as saying that police gave no reasons for her release.

"She has maintained two things from the very beginning. Firstly, she is innocent and second, there is no necessity to remand her for a long period. Her release today speaks volumes for that," he said.

Five men, including Raja Nor Mahani's private secretary, have been charged with murdering Hasleza ( photo ), 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.

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. AFP