THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: This year’s Onam bumper winner, Anoop, said that he got the money to buy the ticket after breaking his son’s piggy bank. He added that he took his son’s money because he didn’t have the full amount with him to pay for the ticket.
Anoop, an auto driver, said that he was planning to sell his auto and go to Malaysia for a better job, when fortune struck. He took the ticket, TJ 750605, on Saturday night.
This year’s Onam bumper was Kerala State Lotteries Department’s highest prize money of Rs. 25 crore. After tax the winner will get Rs. 15.75 crore.
Anoop bought the bumper ticket from Thankaraj lottery agency at Pazhavangadi in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday night. He said that he was short of Rs. 50 to buy the ticket. At first he thought of dropping the idea but then he decided to break his son’s piggy bank. He added that he bought only one ticket.
Anoop recalled that he couldn’t believe that he had won the bumper and called up everyone as soon as he learned of his luck.
Ticket sold in Kottayam has won the second prize worth Rs. 5 crore. The ticket was sold from Meenakshi lucky center’s branch in Pala.
Finance Minister, KN Balagopal, drew the ticket number for the top prize. Only those whose signature is behind the ticket will receive the prize money. This year the Onam bumper tickets, worth Rs. 500, saw record sale. Out of the 67.5 lakhs lottery tickets, 66.5 lakhs were sold till last night. Last year it was only 54 lakhs.
Out of the Rs. 25 crore prize money, the winner will get Rs. 15.75 crore and the lottery agency will receive Rs. 2.5 crore after 30% tax cut. The second prize is Rs. 5 crore for a single person. The third prize is Rs. 1 crore, each for ten people. The total amount of prize money to all the winners will add up to Rs. 126 crore.
Those who took the same number ticket as that of the winning ticket but of different series will receive Rs. 5 lakhs each.