Kozhikode: He came to Kerala a few days ago in search of a job as a construction worker. On March 8, Mofijul Rahima Sheikh left for his home in West Bengal with a fortune in his bank account.
The 22-year-old youth is the latest winner of the Kerala government’s 10-million-rupee Karunya lottery.
He left for home after depositing the prize money in a bank in Chevayoor, a suburb of Kozhikode town, northern Kerala.
Sheikh had arrived in Kerala’s Pooladikkunnu in Kozhikode district in the first week of March for a job as his income in West Bengal was insufficient to support his family of parents, wife and eight-month-old daughter.
He found work at a construction firm and bought the lottery ticket for 50 rupees on Friday with his first wage. Sheikh approached police on Monday when he came to know about the lottery. He feared he could be attacked for money.
He spent a night at a police station. Cops accompanied him to the nearest bank branch and helped him open an account and deposit the prize money.
Sheikh’s relatives in Bardhaman district are elated as he is expected to reach Kolkata, the eastern Indian state’s capital, on March 10. The family plans to give Sheikh a grand reception.
“We are overjoyed now but were afraid for his life when we heard the news for the first time. We feared that someone could attack him,” his father-in-law Shafiq-ul The Times of India over phone.
The family hopes to start some business and build a new house. “We look forward to a better life and are eagerly waiting for him. Who does not have such dreams?” said Shafiq-ul, a relative.