THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a reversal of fortunes, an auto-rickshaw driver who was planning to go to Malaysia to work as a chef, on Sunday won the Rs 25 crore Onam bumper lottery in Kerala.
The astounding win came just a day after Anoop, the lottery winner's application for a loan of Rs 3 lakh was approved.
It is even more interesting that Anoop, hailing from Sreevaraham, a residential district here, bought the winning ticket numbered TJ 750605 on Saturday, a day before he was to leave for Malaysia to work as a chef.
However, it was not his first choice, he told media persons who were present at the agency where he had bought the ticket.
"I did not like the first ticket I chose, so I opted for a different one which turned out to be a winner," an ecstatic Anoop said.
On the loan and his Malaysia trip, Anoop said, "The bank called today regarding the loan and I said I don't need it anymore. I will not be going to Malaysia either."
He has been buying lottery tickets for the last 22 years and has won amounts ranging from a few hundreds to a maximum of Rs 5,000 in the past, Anoop further informed.
"I was not expecting to win and therefore, I was not watching the lottery results on TV. However, when I checked my phone, I saw that I had won. I could not believe it and showed it to my wife. She confirmed that it was the winning number," he said.
"But I was still tense, so I called a lady I know who sells lottery tickets and sent her a picture of my ticket. She confirmed that it was the winning number," Anoop said.
After deduction of taxes, Anoop would probably take home around a whooping Rs 15 crore.
He said his first priority is to build a house for his family and clear the accumulated debts he owes, on being asked what he intends to do with the windfall.
Besides that, Anoop said he would help out his relatives, do some charity work and start something in the hotel line in Kerala.
The winning number was selected by state Finance Minister K N Balagopal in a lucky draw function held earlier in the day at Gorky Bhavan here.
Incidentally, last year's Onam bumper lottery, for Rs 12 crore, was also won by an auto-rickshaw driver, Jayapalan P R, an auto-rickshaw driver from Maradu near Kochi.
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