Pookunju won the Rs 70 lakh Akshaya lottery of the state government. (Representational)
Barely hours after he received an attachment notice from a bank in respect of his house for default on loan repayment, a fish seller from Kerala was able to heave a sigh of relief as he won the Rs 70 lakh Akshaya lottery of the state government.
Pookunju, on October 12, began his day as usual and while on the way to collect the fish which he sells during the day, he bought an Akshaya lottery ticket which had a first prize of Rs 70 lakh.
When he returned home in the afternoon, he got to know that the bank had sent a notice of attachment in respect of his house as he had been unable to pay back a loan amount of around Rs 9 lakh, he told a television channel.
"We were in despair after we received the notice from the bank. We did not know what to do. Whether to sell our property. We have two children, a boy and girl, who are studying," his wife told the channel.
"Besides the bank loan, my father had raked up a debt of around Rs 5 lakh buying lottery tickets," Pookunju said.
But fate smiled upon the family at the right moment as within hours of receiving the notice, when the winning number of the lottery was announced, he was the winner of the Rs 70 lakh first prize.
"He did not believe me when I told him we had won. He initially said it was not at all possible. Then he kept checking and re-checking the ticket number and the result. He just could not believe we had won," she told the channel.
She also said that just a day before that he missed winning a Rs 5,000 prize by two numbers and she had told him to buy another ticket on the next day and that he will win.
"He had not believed me then," she said with a beaming smile.
Their son, who is studying, told the channel that he never believed in buying lottery tickets and bought it sometimes to help out those selling the same.
"I never won anything. I never had any faith in it. My father has now proved it otherwise. Now, if I have money on me, I will also buy lottery tickets. Maybe some of my father's luck would rub off on me," he told the channel with a smile.
On their plans with the winnings, Pookunju's wife said they will first clear all their debts and then ensure their children receive a good education so that they reach a good level in life.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)