Kerala lottery agent in Kalpetta waits for customer who won ₹1 crore bumper

Kalpetta: A lottery vendor in Kalpetta is eagerly waiting for a customer who bought a ticket from his counter. That ticket has won the ₹1 crore first prize in the Suvarna Keralam Bumper Lottery drawn on September 18.

For Ajayakumar, the wait is not merely about finding a lucky customer. If the winner returns with the ticket, Ajayakumar stands to receive a ₹12 lakh commission from the winning prize — an amount that could help him realise his dream of arranging his daughter's wedding in a grand manner. The Kerala Lottery Department's prize structure specifies a ₹12 lakh agent commission for the ₹1 crore first prize.

Ajayakumar, who runs a wayside lottery ticket counter near the Kalpetta Service Cooperative Bank, was jubilant on Friday when he learnt that a ticket sold from his counter had bagged the bumper prize.

“I could not believe it when I heard the news. I immediately put up a flex banner in front of the counter announcing that the ₹1 crore ticket had been sold here. I also started distributing laddus to customers, hoping that the winner would return soon,” Ajayakumar told Onmanorama.

But three days have passed, and there is still no sign of the lucky ticket holder. Ajayakumar's assistant, Arumughan, has also been making announcements to customers and local residents about the winning ticket. The details have been circulated on social media in the hope that the winner — or someone who knows the buyer — will come forward.

“But there has been no response so far. We are still waiting,” said Ajayakumar. A native of Kottavayal near Kalpetta, Ajayakumar.

“Earlier, tickets sold from my counter had won prizes ranging from a few thousand rupees to lakhs. The highest prize so far was ₹5 lakh. This is the first time one of my tickets has won such a big amount,” he said.

The ₹1 crore prize has also made Ajayakumar think seriously about his daughter's wedding. “I have some idea about who the winner could be. I have checked with a few regular customers whom I thought might have bought the ticket. But their ticket numbers did not match,” he said.

His search is therefore continuing, with the hope that the buyer will check the ticket, recognise the winning number and return to the counter.

“The search is on. Only after the winner comes forward and I receive the commission can I make plans for my daughter's marriage,” he said.

“If the winner comes by this evening, we can submit the ticket at the bank tomorrow morning and begin the necessary procedures,” Ajayakumar said, adding that he had obtained the lottery tickets from wholesale agent A. Amithesh.

According to Amithesh, the lottery rules were changed recently, and even if the winner does not come forward to claim the prize, the ticket-selling agent will still be entitled to the commission. The claim process may take a little longer though. After deducting the wholesale agent’s share from the commission, Ajayakumar would receive around ₹8.55 lakh, even if the winner remains unidentified, he added.

Winner may get around ₹65.68 lakh
The ₹1 crore bumper prize is, of course, not the amount that the winner would ultimately be able to retain after applicable taxes.

Lottery winnings are taxed at the special rate of 30% under Section 115BB of the Income Tax Act. Depending on the winner's total income and applicable surcharge, the tax calculation can include a surcharge and 4% health and education cess.

If the ₹1 crore lottery prize is considered on its own for an illustrative calculation, the deductions would include income tax at 30% (₹30,00,000), 10% surcharge on the tax (₹3,00,000), health and education cess at 4% (₹1,32,000), taking the total deduction to ₹34,32,000. So, what the so far unidentified winner could get is approximately ₹65,68,000, that is, if he comes to collect it.