A Pathankot man, Rakesh Sharma, won Rs 1.5 crore lottery after buying the ticket barely three hours before the lucky draw.
An ‘Arthia’ (Grain commission agent) by profession, Sharma won the first prize of Rs 1.50 crore of Punjab State New Year Bumper-2020. He had bought the New Year Bumper ticket from a street vendor on 17 January at 2 pm and the draw of the bumper was held on the same day.
Luck smiled at him in three hours as Sharma hit the jackpot at 5 pm on the same day, 17 January.
Speaking of his future plans after winning the lottery, Sharma said he has two children and the prize money would be a great help for him to get his children good education and get them settled in life.
After submitting the documents to Punjab State Lotteries Department at Chandigarh for encashment of the prize, Sharma expressed faith in the fair and transparent manner in which Punjab Lotteries Department held the draw.
“The most joyous thing is that Punjab Lotteries Department always declares its first prizes guaranteed out of the tickets sold to the public,” said a beaming Sharma.
A resident of Jammu, Rohin Sharma who won the 2nd prize of Rs 10 lakh, also submitted the documents to Punjab State Lotteries Department for encashment of the prize. Punjab Lotteries Department officials assured the winners to encashment of the prize money at the earliest.