Village headwoman fights off armed attackers after home invasion

After receiving a report of a home intrusion and robbery, police went to the victim’s two-storey home in Tambon Si Pran at 7am. 
Sawaengha Police Station superintendant Pol Colonel Krittidech Sirichannont said they had found a blood trail that indicated where the intruders had fled the house belonging to village headwoman Pornnipa Khongyai.

Photo Courtesy of Than Khao Angthong
Pornnipa told police that she was sleeping alone at home when two men broke into her house at about 4am through the back window. 
She said the men put a gun to her head and tied her up in her bedroom while they ransacked the house looking for her pistol, cash and valuables. After the men went to search an area on the ground floor where she told them that she had hidden her gun, she untied herself and pulled out the pistol from under her pillow. 
The intruders returned to the bedroom just as she managed to arm herself and she opened fire at them. She said the men then fled through the back of house and sped away on a motorcycle. 
It was reported that the two men had left with Bt5,000 in cash, a gold necklace worth about Bt100,000 and a mobile phone.

Photo Courtesy of Than Khao Angthong
Police officers collected evidence including eight spent cartridges and three bullets at the scene. Although officers contacted local hospitals to discover if anyone had sought treatment for a gunshot wound, they had not located any suspects as of press time. 
Police would also check CCTV cameras along possible escape routes in the hunt for the intruders, Krittidech said.
Local people praised Pornnipa for fighting back, although they also noted that in her capacity as a village headwoman she had undergone some defence training that gave her the courage to do so.