A Thai man in Sukhothai province admitted to taking a winning lottery ticket from his neighbour, telling police he burned it in an attempt to avoid arrest.
The complaint was filed by a 54 year old woman, Sayan, at Sawankhalok Police Station. She accused her neighbour, Waew, of taking her first-prize lottery ticket worth 6 million baht.
Sayan told police she had bought three lottery tickets, numbered 579015, 173770 and 265873, and asked Waew to help check the results at her home. During the check, Waew confirmed that ticket number 173770 had won the first prize.
According to Sayan, Waew congratulated her and suggested leaving the ticket at her house until it could be claimed. When Sayan returned the following day to collect it, Waew reportedly said she had already discarded the tickets.
Waew told Sayan that none of the tickets had won, claiming one number was close but missed by a single digit. Sayan said she became suspicious, as Waew had previously confirmed the winning result.
Sayan searched a rubbish bin outside Waew’s home and found two of her tickets discarded. The winning ticket, however, was missing.
Police summoned Waew and her husband, Date, for questioning. The couple initially denied any involvement and allowed officers to search their home. Waew maintained that she had returned all three tickets to Sayan after checking the results.
Investigators continued questioning as evidence pointed to the couple. On June 11, Date told police he had taken the winning ticket, stating he wanted the money.
Date said he believed Sayan would not challenge him, describing her as quiet. He added that he became stressed after the case drew public attention and decided to burn the ticket. He told police he acted alone and that Waew had no knowledge of his actions.
Waew later revised her statement, admitting she had kept the winning lottery ticket after checking them, but said she was unaware of when her husband took the winning ticket.
Sayan told media she felt relieved to learn what had happened but was disappointed that the lottery thief was someone close to her. She also expressed concern over whether she would still be able to claim the prize, as the ticket had been destroyed.
Police and the Government Lottery Office have not yet confirmed whether the prize can be claimed without the original ticket.
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