Years of selling hope pay off as Karunagappally lottery seller wins Rs 12 crore Vishu bumper

Thiruvananthapuram: For years, Ponnan and his family from Karunagappally in Kollam made a modest living by selling lottery tickets while quietly hoping luck would one day favour them. On Saturday, that wish turned into a reality as Ponnan won the Vishu bumper first prize worth Rs 12 crore.

Ponnan, his wife Radhamani and son Vinod Kumar turned to lottery selling during Covid period to support themselves. Despite earning their livelihood from selling tickets, the family lived in a small house and led a simple life.

According to Ponnan, buying lottery tickets for himself has been a habit for years. The winning ticket was purchased while buying tickets meant for sale.

“We have been in the lottery business for years, and also buy tickets regularly. I never imagined that our family would turn lucky one day. I bought this ticket while purchasing tickets to sell and kept this one after noticing what I believed was my lucky number. Initially, I could not believe the result. We checked it multiple times. This is a huge moment for our family,” Ponnan said.

His son said the family had continued in the lottery selling through difficult financial periods and believe the win as life changing.