By Zhang Hui

The sublessor who illegally rented out an apartment and duped an Indonesian woman out of 10,000 yuan ($1,506) was detained Monday, according to the exit and entry administration Tuesday.

The Indonesian woman, surnamed Li, is a college student living in Beijing. Through a housing agent's introduction, she rented an apartment at Shaoyaoju Beili in Chaoyang district on October 16.

Li signed a contract with a woman surnamed Liao, who told Li she was the landlord of the apartment. Li then paid Liao 10,000 yuan for four months' rent, Lin Song, the spokesman of the Exit and Entry Administration of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, told the Global Times Tuesday.

But a stranger came to Li's apartment the day after she paid and said that she was the real landlord. She had rented the apartment to Liao months ago, and planned to take it back when Liao's lease ended on October 17. Li realized that she had been cheated and called the police.

Police detained Liao and recovered Li's 10,000 yuan on Monday. Liao told police that she had wanted to make a profit before her lease ended, so she registered the apartment with a housing agent and re-rented it at a low price, according to Lin.

The police then tracked down the housing agent, surnamed Sun. He said he facilitated Li's rental without checking the ownership materials of the apartment, and that he charged both Liao and Li for arranging the deal.

Liao, charged with fraud, will be detained for 14 days by the Chaoyang police. Sun will be punished by his company, Lin said.

Lin suggested that foreigners first confirm the ownership of a house before renting it, and to make sure that the landlord approves of any sublets.