Confusion over the winner of the Rs 12 crore Kerala Lottery Onam bumper was settled on Monday evening with Kochi auto driver Jayapalan depositing the winning ticket and obtaining a certificate to this effect from his bank.
After the winning numbers were announced on Sunday evening, two ministers of state overseeing the draw, a dozen TV channels went down to find the ticket owner, the only information they had was that the ticket was sold from the Meenakshi lottery, worth Rs. 300 was Rs. , Thripunithura, which is on the outskirts of Kochi.
Social media also started to trace the owner.
Reading: A cook in Dubai claims to have won Rs 12 crore Kerala’s Thiruvonam Bumper Lottery
On Monday, news surfaced that Dubai resident Syed Alvi, a resident of Wayanad, had claimed that he was the winner.
TV channels started airing Alavi’s interview, while his house in Wayanad was crowded.
Alvi, who has been working as an assistant cook at a hotel in Dubai for the past 11 years, said he would build his own house as he does not currently have one.
Back home in their rented house in Wayanad, his family members were shocked by the gust of wind.
Although the media had taken the statement of Alavi and his family in Wayanad, according to Alvi, the winning ticket was with his friend who had bought it and sent him a picture of it.
Alavi said that very soon his friend who has bought the ticket will hand it over to his wife living in Wayanad.
All eyes were on Alavi’s friend and people were curious to know the details, such as how he bought the ticket, as the place is more than 200 kms from Kozhikode, where he runs his own business.
And Ahmed, who appeared in Kozhikode, rubbished his friend’s claims, saying he came to know about the result on Sunday and saw the picture of the winning ticket on Facebook.
“I took a picture of it and sent it to Alawi. When he received it, he said he owed a man some money and told me he would say he got the first prize. I said ‘I have no problem’. That’s what happened and I don’t know anything else.”
However, amidst all the commotion, Jayapalan had already deposited the award winning ticket to his bank in Kochi and it gave a certificate that he had the ticket.
According to informed sources, after tax, the winner will get around Rs 7.50 crore on his investment of Rs 300.
The total revenue from the sale of Onam bumper lottery tickets is around Rs 140 crore, of which, after all expenses, the state exchequer will get only around Rs 4 crore.
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