Thiruvananthapuram: A regular auto driver in Kerala , who had plans to move to Malaysia and work there as a chef, got lucky on Sunday as he won the ₹ 25 crore Onam bumper lottery in Kerala. Interestingly, Anoop this incident took place a day after filed his application for a loan request of ₹ 3 lakh got an approval from bank.
Even mor interesting fact is Anoop who belongs to Sreevaraham , bought the lottery ticket TJ 750605 — on Saturday itself with no clue that next day will make him a millionaire.
An important fact to note is that it was not Anoop’s first choice. He told the media that he did not like the first ticket and picked up a different one that lead him to be the winner.
On the loan application approval and his Malaysia trip, Anoop shared, “The bank called today regarding the loan and I said I don’t need it anymore. I will not be going to Malaysia either.” Anoo has been trying his luck on lottery tickets since last 22 years and has only won smaller amounts ranging between a fewhundreds to of ₹ 5,000 in the past.
“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 tensed, 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 the formalities and tax deductions as per govt rule, Anoop is likely to take home around ₹ 15 crore worth amount.
On winning a huge amount, Anoop shared his plans on utilizing the money, he said : he would help out his relatives, do some charity work and start something in the hotel field in Kerala.
“I will again buy lottery tickets,” Anoop said as reporters jostled each other to get a few words from him.
Co incidentally, last year’s bumper lottery was also won by an auto-rickshaw driver which was worth ₹ 12 crore. Jayapalan P R, an auto-rickshaw driver from Maradu near Kochi, won the lottery last year.
