Lottery winner regrets winning jackpot after being bombarded with requests for help
Winner Anoop said he is now even considering moving home to escape the public attention
Many of us have dreamed about winning the lottery and thought about all the ways we might spend the jackpot.
But for one man who found himself with the winning ticket – he doesn’t feel quite so lucky. In fact he has even said he regrets scooping the top prize.
Earlier this month, Anoop, an auto driver from Kerala in India, won 250 million rupees ($3m/£2.8m) in a state government lottery, which will be 150m rupees ($1.8m/£1.7m) after tax.
But since the announcement he’s been inundated with requests for financial help and has had to ask strangers to stop hounding him and his family.
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He’s also said he now can’t enjoy his life at home anymore either.
He told the India Times: “I have lost all peace of mind and I can't even reside in my own home as I am besieged with people who come calling to ask me to sort out various needs of theirs as I have won the first prize.
"I now keep changing where I stay as I have lost all peace of mind that I enjoyed till I won the prize.
“Now I really wish, I should not have won it. I, like most people, really enjoyed my winning for a day or two with all the publicity.
"But now this has become a menace and I can't even go outside where I stay. People are after me seeking help from me.”
Anoop bought his ticket on 17 September, the day before the draw, and was initially thrilled to have won the prize, the highest ever offered in the state for a lottery.
He had said he wanted to follow his dreams of becoming a chef and opening his own restaurant, but he quickly changed his tune.
Positing a video on Facebook Live he said he regretted winning and wished he’d won the third prize instead.
In the clip he said: “I wish I hadn’t won. The third prize may have been better.”
According to the BBC, Anoop is now even considering moving home to escape the public attention it has brought.
In his video he said: “I was overjoyed when I won. There were people and cameras at the house and we were happy.”
But it wasn’t long before the situation got out of control.
“I can’t leave the house, I can’t go anywhere. My child is ill and I can’t take him to the doctor,” Anoop said.
Anoop who has been staying with relatives to try and escape the attention. He added: “All I can tell everyone is that I haven’t got any money yet. No one seems to understand my problem, no matter how many times I say it.”
When he receives his winnings, Anoop said he’d also build a house for his family, clear his debts and do some charity work too.
Topics: Money, World News, News
Anna Verdon