Thiruvananthapuram: An autorickshaw driver who recently won the highest-ever prize offered by the Kerala Lottery Department has decided to try his luck in business. He has opened a lottery ticket agency — after all a lottery ticket changed his fortunes. People have been turning up at the shop to buy lottery tickets from the lucky man.
B Anoop, from Sreevaraham in Thiruvananthapuram district, had won the Thiruvonam Bumper Lottery of Rs 25 crore last year. Anoop started the lottery shop after deciding to quit his driving career.
The shop was opened at the Manacaud Junction on Friday. The shop has been named M A Lucky Centre by adding the first letters of the names of Anoop and his wife Maya.
The new business is run from a leased premises, but Anoop plans to shift to his own property soon.
"My fortunes changed due to the lottery; therefore, I decided to start a lottery business. Even after winning the Bumper lottery, I have been regularly buying lottery tickets and had won even Rs 5,000," said the jackpot winner.
People who win the lottery do not always prosper. After squandering away the money that comes their way, they end up on the streets. I cannot be like them," Anoop said.
Though the Lottery Department informed us that a class would be taken on handling the finances, they haven’t called yet, Maya said.
Anoop had recently received Rs 15.70 crore in his bank account as the net payment for the first prize. This is the amount after 30 per cent tax deduction. The money was transferred from the State's treasury account. Rs 3 crore was paid as tax from the Rs 15.70 crore received; the rest has been invested as a fixed deposit in the bank.
The couple recently shifted to Manacaud from Sreekaryam.
