Wilawan Emsawat, also known by her nickname “Ms. Golf,” is a woman in her 30s who lived in a luxury residence in Nonthaburi, just north of Bangkok. She was taken into custody on Tuesday by the Royal Thai Police’s Central Investigation Bureau. Wilawan now faces charges of extortion, money laundering, and possession of stolen property.

A scandal involving Wilawan Emsawat has rocked Thailand's Buddhist community, with accusations of seduction and blackmail against several high-ranking monks. Emsawat allegedly lured monks into violating their vows of celibacy and then extorted money from them to conceal the relationships.

At least nine abbots and senior monks involved in the scandal have been disrobed and cast out of the monkhood, police said.