Thrissur: Saddled with a debt of Rs 55 lakh, Thrissur native Ramesh Kumar could think of one way out - try his luck. He purchased 40 Thiruvonam bumper lottery tickets, each priced at Rs 500. In the process, he ended up spending Rs 20,000, more than his monthly paycheck. His misery only got worse though - all the tickets were stolen from his residence in Puthur. 

Ramesh, who lives alone, has filed a complaint, but chances are slim that he will get his tickets back before the draw scheduled at 1.30 pm on Wednesday. Though haunted by misfortune, he backed himself and again bought ten tickets as a last resort. The draw at Gorkhi Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram will be officiated by Finance Minister K N Balagopal in the presence of MLA V K Prasanth and Abraham Renn, Director of the Lottery Department.

The first prize for the Onam Bumper is Rs 25 crore, with the agent receiving a 10 per cent commission, amounting to Rs 2.5 crore. Additionally, 20 winners will receive the second prize of Rs 2 crore, while another 20 will take home Rs 50 lakh as the third prize. Nine prizes will be awarded, with Rs 125.54 crore in total prize money. By Tuesday evening, 72 lakh of the 80 lakh printed tickets had already been sold, with sales continuing until just before the draw.