Kollam grocer wins Rs 5 crore Onam bumper

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The Onam bumper prize of Kerala Lottery this time went to R. Vijayan Pillai, a grocery shop man in Punalur.

He would get Rs 5 crore and one kilogram of 24ct gold, as per the draw held on Friday afternoon.

Vijayan Pillai, who runs his shop at Mathara near Karavaloor, had the habit of taking lottery tickets. A local ticket seller, Rajan Pillai, sold the ticket to Vijayan this time. A Gulf returnee, Vijayan is running the shop near his house for the past 23 years.

His family consists of wife Padmakumari and children Anitha and Anoop, both of them settled in life.

“This is a gift from god. I had planned to contribute a good sum to the renovation of the Ayiravallay temple here, which I will do now. Iintend to spend money on some other public causes as well,” Vijayan told DC.

Vijayan said he took the ticket on September 5 when Rajan Pillai compelled him to take one. “I did not know that my ticket won the prize when the news channels flashed the ticket number. It was only by 4pm that I took the ticket and checked the number. It was a big surprise,” he said.

This is the second consecutive time that Kollam district wins the Onam bumper. Last year, Abdul Latheef, a native of Kundara, won the prize.