Thiruvananthapuram: As the draw for the much awaited Thiruvonam bumper lottery was held by the Kerala government on Wednesday, Altaf, an automobile mechanic from neighbouring Karnataka became an instant millionaire by winning the Rs 25 crore jackpot.
The Kerala government held the draw for the Thiruvonam bumper lottery at the Gorky Bhavan in capital Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday afternoon. Altaf, a mechanic based in Pandavapura near Mysore in Karnataka has secured the top prize with his ticket number TG434222 as confirmed by Kerala Finance Minister KN Balagopal during the draw of the ticket. Altaf had bought the ticket from Sultan Bathery in Wayanad during his visit to a relative. Altaf's family confirmed that the first prize was won with a ticket bought from Sultan Bathery.
From Low-Profile Mechanic To Millionaire Overnight: Altaf and his family cannot believe that he has become an overnight millionaire through the Thiruvonam bumper lottery.
With the Onam bumper Prize, Altaf hopes he can fulfill his long-held wishes. Altaf, who lives in a rented house, is planning to build his own house and arrange his daughter's wedding with the prize money. The Mysuru mechanic has been buying lotteries for the last 15 years, he said.
It is learnt that the first prize ticket was sold through the district lottery agency S J Lucky Center, run by Anish Kumar in Panamaram. Nagaraj from N.G.R. Lotteries in Sultan Bathery sold this ticket to Altaf. Nagaraj, who has been in the lottery business in Sultan Bathery town for fifteen years, recalled that this ticket was sold about a month ago
"This is the first ticket that came in the first lot. I don't remember exactly who bought it; many people came to the shop. Workers from other states also buy tickets. I am very happy that the prize has been claimed," Nagaraj told the media.
Altaf said that he is very happy to have won the lottery and expressed special thanks to the Malayalis and the Kerala government. Last year, the Thiruvonam bumper lottery had three joint winners from Tirupur in Tamil Nadu.
One out of four Malayalis take bumper tickets, but Unlucky!
According to the Kerala Finance Department, more than 71 lakh Onam bumper tickets out of the 90 lakh printed tickets were sold this year. The government has introduced the Thiruvonam Bumper Lottery without changing the prize structure of last year. On average, one out of four Malayalis bought the lottery tickets.
Thiruvonam Bumper Lottery-Ticket Cost And Winning Prizes
The Thiruvonam bumper lottery ticket which sells at Rs 500 gives a whopping Rs 25 crore to the first prize winner, 10 percent of which is set aside for the agent. Besides, 2nd prize of Rs 2 crore is given to 20 winners and 3rd prize of Rs 50 lakh to another 20 winners.
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