Sulthan Bathery: With stories of the Onam Bumper lottery winners doing the rounds, a daily wage labourer attacked a woman lottery vendor with a knife at Nambiarkunnu, a border town near Cheeral in Wayanad, on Sunday. Her fault: the tickets she sold him for several years never won him a prize.

The incident occurred around noon on the Kerala side of Nambiarkunnu. Tamil Nadu police personnel deployed at a nearby check-post overpowered the man after he turned violent. The man was so aggressive that the policemen, with the help of local people, had to tie him down. Local traders informed the Noolpuzha police, who took him into custody from their Tamil Nadu counterparts and arrested him.

According to the police, Sivakumar, a native of Panchora near Pattavayal in Tamil Nadu, was under the influence of alcohol and picked a quarrel with Vineetha, a lottery vendor attached to Poonkavanam Lottery Shop at Nambiarkunnu. He allegedly abused her, accusing her of failing to bring him any luck despite his having purchased lottery tickets from her regularly for several years. In a fit of rage, Sivakumar attacked Vineetha with a knife, injuring her on the neck and head.

Vineetha was rushed to the Taluk Hospital in Sulthan Bathery, where doctors said though the injuries were serious, she was out of danger. The Noolpuzha police have registered a case.

The ₹30-crore Thiruvonam Bumper lottery was won by ticket TL 360615, sold in Kannur district. The draw was held on Saturday.