How Indian-origin clerk in US tried to be millionaire with stolen lottery ticket

A 23-year-old Indian-origin man has been accused of stealing a $1-million lottery ticket from its rightful owner. Investigators found that the victim, a father who wishes to remain anonymous, bought two lottery tickets on July 13 at a Shell gas station in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The father handed both tickets to Meer Patel, who gave him cash for the lottery ticket with the lesser amount and kept the other ticket, which had won the $1 million prize, and pretended to discard it in a wastebasket.

Patel, 23, who has been working as a clerk in a Tennessee store in the US, has been arrested and charged with theft over $250,000, according to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office.

Patel allegedly tried to claim the $1 million prize at the Tennessee lottery office, but staff members became suspicious.

Surveillance footage from the store, obtained by investigators, showed Patel allegedly taking out the trash, removing the winning ticket, and placing it in his pocket.

“Mr. Patel is then seen later in the video celebrating in the store after scratching off the front of the ticket and learning it was a $1 million winner,” authorities said in a news release, as reported by Fox 29 News.

Detectives used the same surveillance video to identify the father as the legitimate owner of the tickets.

The father was informed of the incident by the investigators.

“The feel-good side of this story is that the father never knew he was the winner until we made contact with him,” a detective shared. “That is absolutely life-changing money.”