Xeping is known as “Dr Xeping”, although she is not a medical doctor and only became famous for the so-called Face Off cosmetic surgery |services she has promoted.

Her arrest on Wednesday, along with Face Off associate Botthamakorn Wattananon, at a luxurious house in Muang Nonthaburi, stemmed from a police complaint filed last month by seven people who underwent her programme’s surgical procedures but didn’t get the results they believe they were entitled to expect, Surachate said.

The claimants said they had been told there would be no scars or bruises and that they would look 10-20 years younger. Later, however, they felt their results weren’t like that at all.

The seven people, who said they had together forked out Bt5 million to Face Off, lodged complaints with police, resulting in a court issuing arrest warrants for Xeping and Botthamakorn for public fraud.

That offence is punishable with a maximum five-year imprisonment and/or a maximum Bt10,000 fine.

Face Off made headlines in 2016 when a famous singer, Surachai Sombatcharoen, went to them seeking beautification work to make her look younger.

Xeping was immediately criticised by several doctors over her use of catchy words in advertising and their concerns that her claims could mislead consumers into having unreal expectations.

Surachate said Xeping, who has a PhD in business administration, had conducted preliminary facial analysis and arranged for her clients to have plastic surgery in hospital. Police had so far identified one hospital and two plastic surgeons who had worked with her, said Surachate.

He added that police would look into all of Face Off’s transactions, estimated to be worth more than Bt10 million, as well as Xeping’s alleged use of exaggerated advertisement to attract more customers.

Those, like Surachai, who had paid for treatment were not under suspicion and were merely innocent parties, Surachate said.

One of the victims, Raiwin (last name withheld), said she could hardly look at herself in the mirror nowadays as she couldn’t bear to see her “disfigured face”. She also claimed her foreign boyfriend of more than 13 years had become distant and may dump her after her failed cosmetic surgery.

Raiwin said she would press charges against Face Off for allegedly giving her faulty promises.

“I knew Face Off from Thai social media and the news about a famous singer getting a good result from it so I paid Bt680,000 to undergo the program’s three surgery procedures,” she said. “Three months afterwards, my face worsened. So I gathered several others, who also had problems, to file a complaint.”

Another victim, Pornthip (last name withheld), said she had just wanted to rid her ageing facial skin of wrinkles but Xeping suggested more procedures so she also had them done.

The result was not as she was led to expect, however, and she now had a mis-shaped face and scars.

Public Health Ministry officials, meanwhile, said that they would file two additional charges against Xeping: operating a medical business without permission and performing medical treatments without permission.

Xeping and her associate were released on bail by police on Wednesday after acknowledging the public fraud charge against them.