Thiruvananthapuram: Rs 50 taken from his two-and-a-half-year-old son’s piggy bank seem to have brought luck for auto rickshaw driver Anoop, a native of Sree Varaham, Thiruvananthapuram, who won the Kerala State Thiruvonam Bumper lottery for Rs 25 crore, in the draw yesterday.

“I thought of not taking the ticket as Rs 50 was short in Rs 500 to buy it. Then my mind changed. I took Rs 50 from my son Adhwaith’s piggy bank. Bought only one lottery ticket. First I had taken another ticket. As I did not like the number, changed it and bought another one,” says Anoop, all excited about winning the highest prize money in the history of the Kerala Lottery – Rs 25 crore.

Anoop from Perunthanni ward Panayil House near Sree Varaham Market junction bought the ticket from the Pazhavangadi branch of Bhagavathi agencies on Saturday night.

“I try my luck on the lottery always. I have won up to Rs 5,000. This time, I had thought of not taking the Onam bumper as I had not enough money. As I got some money on Saturday, I changed my mind and decided to buy one. On seeing the news on TV, I was panicky and thought the number was different. My wife Maya confirmed that the number is the same,” said Anoop. His wife Maya is 6 months pregnant.

Anoop has been driving the autorickshaw for a living since the time his father, a daily wage labourer, died. Anoop was planning to leave for Malaysia for the job of a chef to clear his debts. Rs 2 lakh loan was approved by the Muttathara Service Cooperative Bank last day. 

“Now, I am not going abroad. I am not going to stop buying lottery tickets as well,” Anoop said.

 

Anoop is to get Rs 15.75 crore after deductions

 

Anoop, who won the Thiruvonam Bumper lottery is to get Rs 15.75 crore after a 30 per cent tax deduction and 10 per cent agent’s commission.

P Thangaraju, the owner of the agency which sold the bumper ticket to Anoop, would get Rs 2.5 crore as commission.

Ticket number TG 270912 has won the second prize of Rs 5 crore. This ticket has been sold in the Kottayam district.