A Kerala auto-rickshaw driver has won a whopping Rs. 25 crore in lottery just before he was scheduled to leave for Malaysia to work as a chef there. Anoop had also applied for a loan of Rs. three lakh to fund his trip to Malaysia. His loan application was approved just moments before he won Rs. 25 crore lottery prize.
Who Is Anoop?
Anoop, who hails from Sreevaraham in Thiruvananthapuram, had bought the winning ticket (TJ 750605) on Saturday. Many reports said that he bought the ticket by using the money from his children’s piggy bank.
He told reporters that the winning number was not his first choice. After he didn’t like the first number, he bought another ticket, which won him Rs. 25 crore.
On his plan to go to Malaysia to work as a chef, Anoop said that he had cancelled the idea and will start a business in Kerala instead. As for the approved loan, the lucky winner said that he had told the bank manager that he no longer required the money.
Anoop said that he first refused to believe that he had won so much money. He called a woman, who sells lottery tickets and sent a photo of his ticket. The woman confirmed that he had indeed won Rs. 25 crore.
“I was dubious whether I won the first prize itself. My wife checked and confirmed the number for me. The ticket was taken after 8 pm on Saturday. At first, I took another ticket, but I put it back and then took this ticket. I have taken tickets before and won Rs 5,000 once. I am happy but also tensed at the same time that I am going to receive such a huge amount of money,” he was quoted by the Mathrubhumi website.
Anoop said that he had been buying lottery tickets for 22 years and even won prize money ranging between Rs. 500 and Rs. 5,000.
Anoop’s family consists of his wife and young son and mother. He has promised to help his relatives, who are in need of financial assistance.