Borrowed Money from Son's Piggy Bank to Buy Lottery Ticket and Won
State Government Seeking Help Including Financial Management Education for Anup
A man living in Kerala, southern India, is reportedly moving from house to house, unable to bear the persistent demands from people asking him to share his lottery winnings, the British BBC reported on the 26th. Photo by EPA, Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] An Indian man who won the first prize in the lottery is unable to withstand the persistent demands from people asking him to share the winnings and is moving from relative to relative's house.
On the 26th (local time), BBC revealed the story of Anup, who lives in Kerala, southern India.
Anup, who worked as a three-wheeled motorcycle driver, was planning to leave for Malaysia to work at a restaurant. He had been buying lottery tickets every week for the past 22 years. Even the day before leaving for Malaysia, he borrowed money from his son's piggy bank and rushed to the lottery shop.
After much deliberation, Anup chose one of the two tickets and, as he did every week, thought he had lost and did not check the draw results. However, when he checked his phone later, the result was a first prize win.
Anup's win became a big topic in India. This lottery, issued by the state government, recently increased the prize money from 120 million rupees (about 2.1 billion KRW) to 250 million rupees (about 4.3 billion KRW). Anup and his family, who won the highest-ever lottery prize, were exposed to the media daily and became instant celebrities.
However, a week after winning the lottery, Anup is expressing discomfort. After news of his win spread, people started visiting his home demanding financial support.
He said, "I was very happy when I won. People and cameras flooded my house, and we were happy," adding, "But soon the situation became uncontrollable. I cannot leave the house or go anywhere. Even if my child is sick, I cannot take him to a doctor."
He continued, "I wish I hadn't won. It would have been better if I had gotten third place," and said, "I have not received any money yet. I have repeated this countless times to people, but no one seems to understand properly."
Eventually, Anup appealed through his social media (SNS) video, asking people to "stop harassing me and my family."
After taxes, the prize money Anup will receive is 150 million rupees (about 2.6 billion KRW). The state government stated that they are seeking financial management education programs to help him use the money efficiently.
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