In a shocking incident at Museum Junction, Sukumariamma, a 72-year-old street vendor, was defrauded of her Rs1 crore lottery prize by a trusted lottery seller. Sukumariamma had purchased 12 tickets from Kannan, the lottery vendor, on May 14 for ₹1,200. To her surprise, one of the tickets—FG 348822 from the Fifty-Fifty Kerala State Lottery—won the first prize worth Rs1 crore. Along with the top prize, she also won a consolation prize of ₹8,000.
However, Sukumariamma’s moment of joy soon turned to despair when Kannan, the seller, deceitfully stole the winning ticket. Initially, Kannan told Sukumariamma that she had won only Rs500 per ticket for the 12 tickets she had purchased. Trusting him, Sukumariamma gave him ₹500 and asked for his help in receiving the remaining prize money of ₹5,500. But Kannan walked away with all the 12 tickets, including the winning one.
The situation took a twist when another street vendor, after checking the lottery numbers, told Sukumariamma that there was no prize for her ticket numbers. The next day, Kannan returned, changing his story once again, and claimed she had won Rs100 for each ticket. Still believing him, Sukumariamma accepted his explanation.
Kannan, meanwhile, started celebrating his own success, spreading the news in the market that he had won ₹1 crore from the lottery. It wasn’t until Prabha, a friend of Sukumariamma and a fellow lottery vendor, became suspicious after hearing the news. Prabha recognized the winning ticket number as one Sukumariamma had bought and confirmed with her that she had been tricked.
Sukumariamma, now realizing she had been scammed, approached the lottery directorate and filed a complaint. She was advised to lodge a police complaint and provide an FIR. In the meantime, Kannan had gone into hiding, and his phone was switched off.
The Museum Police, led by Sub-Inspector Aneez A, took immediate action. Upon verifying the ticket series with the lottery department, they confirmed the legitimacy of Sukumariamma’s claim. The police traced Kannan to Pipinmoodu near Peroorkada and arrested him. He confessed to the fraud, admitting that he had stolen the ticket and attempted to claim the Rs1 crore prize for himself.
The police have since seized the winning ticket, which was found in a bank in Peroorkada. Sukumariamma now has the option to either settle the matter or take it to court. The investigation continues as the authorities work to ensure that justice is served.
Sukumariamma, a hardworking street vendor who had always trusted Kannan, expressed her shock and disbelief. “I never thought he would do this to me,” she said, reflecting the betrayal she felt.
The arrest of Kannan marks a significant step in addressing the growing issue of lottery scams and the exploitation of vulnerable individuals by fraudsters posing as trusted vendors.