Shop owner wins Onam Bumper

The top prize of the Onam bumper of the Kerala Lottery makes a return to the district for the second consecutive year. If it was Abdul Latheef, a small hotel employee from Ilampalloor, who won the fortune last year, this time around, the luck was with Vijayan Pillai, a stationery shop owner from Mathra, near here.

Vijayan Pillai of Anitha Bhavan, Mathra, will get the first prize of Rs 5 crore and one kg of gold.

When lottery agent Rajan Pillai of Karavaloor forced him to buy the winning ticket, TA 579103, seldom did Vijayan Pillai think that it would turn him into a millionaire. In fact, Vijayan did not know that his ticket won the prize, when the news channels flashed the ticket number and the district.

It was only by 4 pm that he was able to confirm that he won the prize. Speaking to Express on Friday, Vijayan seemed less carried away by the unexpected fortune.

“I consider this as a gift from the God,” he said.

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