How an Indian-origin man stole a $1 million-winning lottery ticket from a US man, tried to redeem it, and failed miserably
Two years in the past, an Indian-origin man named Meer Patel discovered himself on the centre of an enormous lottery fraud case in Tennessee after he was accused of making an attempt to say a $1 million profitable scratch card that belonged to another person.Patel, then 23, was arrested and charged with theft over $250,000 after stealing a profitable lottery ticket from a buyer at a petroleum station the place he labored in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.The shopper had bought two Diamond and Gold scratch-off tickets at a Shell petrol station. As an alternative of scratching the tickets himself, the person solely revealed the barcodes and requested Patel to scan them to see whether or not they have been winners. Police mentioned one ticket carried a prize of $40, which Patel paid to the shopper. Nonetheless, the second ticket was price a $1 million.Patel falsely advised the shopper the ticket was not a winner and dropped it right into a garbage bin. The shopper left the shop believing he had no additional winnings.What occurred subsequent was captured on retailer surveillance footage.“Retailer video obtained by Investigators Vic Donoho and Greg Heiman of the Tennessee Lottery confirmed the clerk allegedly taking out the trash, eradicating the profitable ticket and putting it in his pocket,” the sheriff’s workplace mentioned.Patel later scratched the entrance of the ticket to disclose the prize quantity and realised he was holding a million-dollar winner.“Mr. Patel is then seen later within the video celebrating within the retailer after scratching off the entrance of the ticket and studying it was a $1 million winner,” detective Dennis Ward mentioned.Investigators additionally reviewed footage that confirmed Patel scanning the tickets, discarding the profitable ticket and later retrieving it after the shopper had gone.Police mentioned Patel then travelled to the Tennessee Lottery headquarters in Nashville to say the prize as his personal. Underneath lottery guidelines, any prize price $200,000 or extra have to be claimed in particular person on the organisation’s headquarters.Nonetheless, lottery officers rapidly grew to become suspicious.“He went to the Tennessee Lottery Fee to say the ticket as his personal and thru their regular line of questioning there have been sufficient pink flags for them to say, ‘Hey, it’s worthwhile to get your entire affairs so as and are available again to us and we’re gonna maintain on to the ticket,’” Lt. Det. Steve Craig advised WTVF. That made it “fairly apparent” what Patel had accomplished.The issues raised by lottery workers triggered an investigation. Tennessee Lottery investigators obtained surveillance footage from the petrol station and shared their findings with regulation enforcement authorities.Patel was arrested on 22 July, 2024 and charged with theft over $250,000. He was later held on a $100,000 bond on the Rutherford County Grownup Detention Heart whereas awaiting a courtroom look.In the meantime, detectives tried to seek out the shopper who had unknowingly walked away from a life-changing jackpot. After reviewing retailer footage, they have been capable of monitor him down and inform him that he was in truth the rightful proprietor of the profitable ticket.“The texture-good facet of this story is the (man) by no means knew he was the winner till we made contact with him,” Craig mentioned. “That’s completely life-changing cash.”In keeping with investigators, the person was shocked and grateful when he realized he had change into a millionaire.
