K Anoop, an auto rickshaw driver from Sreevaraham in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, won the Rs 25 crore Onam lottery. He had purchased the lucky ticket from Bhagavathy Agency on Saturday night. 

Kerala finance minister K N Balagopal drew the winners in presence of transport minister Antony Raju and Vattiyoorkavu MLA V K Prasanth on Sunday.

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The second prize for the lottery was at Rs 5 crore and 10 people at third won Rs 1 crore each. Sixty seven lakh Onam bumper tickets were printed this year and almost all  were sold out. One ticked costed Rs 500. 

Who is K Anoop?

K Anoop is an autorickshaw driver from Sreevaraham in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. He is 30 years old. 

He worked as a chef in a hotel and was planning to move to Malaysia. His bank loan was sanctioned. He bought the winning ticket – TJ 750605 – on Saturday.

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Talking to reporters after winning the lottery, Anoop said that he took Rs 50 from his son’s piggy bank for the ticket. 

“I thought of not taking the ticket as Rs 50 was short in Rs 500 to buy it. Then my mind changed. I took Rs 50 from my son Adhwaith’s piggy bank. Bought only one lottery ticket. First I had taken another ticket. As I did not like the number, changed it and bought another one,” he said. 

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Anoop will get 15 crores 75 lakhs rupees after tax deduction. He has been buying lottery tickets for years. 

“I try my luck on the lottery always. I have won up to Rs 5,000. This time, I had thought of not taking the Onam bumper as I had not enough money. As I got some money on Saturday, I changed my mind and decided to buy one. On seeing the news on TV, I was panicky and thought the number was different. My wife Maya confirmed that the number is the same,” said Anoop.