Upon winning the Onam bumper lottery, an auto driver-turned-chef was on cloud nine
Just a day after his loan application of Rs 3 lakh was approved, an auto-rickshaw driver in Kerala won the Rs 25 crore Onam bumper lottery.
The winning ticket – TJ 750605 – was bought on Saturday by Anoop, a resident of Sreevaraham.
However, he told media personnel present at the agency where he purchased the ticket that it was not his first choice.
The first ticket he purchased did not appeal to him, so he chose a different one that proved to be successful.
Anoop said he didn’t need the loan anymore when discussing his Malaysia trip with the bank.In the past, Anoop has won amounts ranging from a few hundred to a maximum of Rs 5,000 by buying lottery tickets.
The lottery results weren’t on TV because I wasn’t expecting to win.I discovered, however, that I had won when I checked my phone.Upon seeing it, I could not believe what I had seen and showed it to my wife.The winning number was confirmed by her,” he said.
“But I was still tense, so I sent a picture of my ticket to a lottery ticket seller I know.The winning number was confirmed,” Anoop said.
Anoop would probably make around Rs 15 crore after taxes.
When asked what he intended to do with the windfall, he responded that his first priority is to build a home for his family and pay off his accumulated debts.
Also, Anoop stated that he would help out his relatives, do some charity work, and start a business in the hotel industry in Kerala.
He has been purchasing tickets for years, according to his wife, who was also present with him at the agency.
Since everyone found out about the win, we have received a large number of calls,” she stated.
The reporters jostled each other to get a few words from Anoop as he said, “I will once again buy lottery tickets.”
Also, last year, an auto-rickshaw driver won the Rs 12 crore Onam bumper lottery. The lottery was won last year by Jayapalan P R, an auto-rickshaw driver from Maradu, near Kochi.
The second prize of Rs 5 crore goes to TG 270912, the owner of the ticket.
There are also 10 other winners, who have each been awarded a prize of Rs 1 crore.
At a lucky draw function held earlier in the day at Gorky Bhavan here, state Finance Minister K N Balagopal selected the winning number at the grand event.
