The Hindu : National : Jackpot winner proves elusive

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 31, 2006

National

National

Jackpot winner proves elusive

Special Correspondent

KOLKATA: The country's biggest-ever jackpot winner, Jai Prakash Jaiswal, has chosen to keep the media away till he is able to lay his hand on the prize money: Rs. 17,29,15,375. "He has even switched off his mobile phone," a relative told The Hindu on Tuesday.

Mr. Jaiswal bought the winning Sikkim Online Super Lotto ticket for Rs. 10 on May 25 from an outlet in the city on May 25. Three days later - on Monday — he walked into the office of the lottery house's marketing agent, Pan India Network Infravests, to claim his prize. A dealer in metal scrap, who tried his luck with lotteries on several earlier occasions, Mr. Jaiswal could not be traced on Tuesday. According to Ranjit Jaiswal, who described himself as a "relative" of the jackpot winner, said: "Jai Prakash Jaiswal does not want any more publicity and even I do not know his whereabouts."

Aniruddha Basu, regional head of Pan India Network Infravests, said Mr. Jaiswal had completed the formalities. The documents, staking his claim of the prize money, had been sent to the Sikkim Government's finance department. "Proof of his identity accompanying his claim had been forwarded and the prize money should be released between 45 to 90 days. The amount Mr. Jaiswal will be receiving will be about 31.5 per cent less than the size of the jackpot." Fifty-year-old Mr. Jaiswal is a resident of Beliaghata. He purchased his lottery ticket from Shree Krishna Communications.

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