An elderly woman bizarrely burned down her house to stop thieves stealing from her.
Kittiphon Pradaprueng, 77, allegedly told police she set fire to her house to scare away a thief trying to break in.
The blaze sparked panic among neighbours as fears grew it could spread to a nearby temple.
“I live alone in the house and was relaxing when a thief attempted to break into my home," she is said to have told police in Panat Nikhom, Thailand.
"To scare the thief, I turned on my gas stove and started a fire with various materials in my home.”
“I just wanted to show the potential thieves that no one can steal from me and despite being older I am not an easy target.
"After a short period, in which I believe the attempted thieves fled, I put out the fire with some water but it was too late as the flames had spread throughout the house, which is made of wood. I left the house and called police and firefighters for assistance.”
The blaze destroyed the woman's two-storey wooden property in Hua Tanot, Chonburi province – 42 miles south east of Thai capital Bangkok.
It took firefighters and several fire engines about half an hour to get it under control.
The homeowner, who was unharmed during the incident last month, also admitted she didn't intend to burn the entire house down.
Officers said they found evidence of an intruder, but refused to deny Mrs Pradaprueng's version of events.
She was arrested at the scene and now faces legal action – despite the property belonging to her, police told local media.
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