Mirzapur, March 23, 2020: A 30-year-old native of West Bengal who worked as a laborer in Kerala has won 10 million rupees in lottery a week after he fled the southern Indian state hit hard by COVID-19.
“I was staring at a bleak future the day I came from Kerala. The rate for a daily laborer is 500-600 rupees in Murshidabad, which is half of what we earn in Kerala. Now the Almighty has blessed me,” said Izarul Seikh of Mirzapur village under Beldanga police station in Murshidabad district.
He had returned home after the deadly virus started soaring in Kerala, police told reporters on March 22.
Seikh has a little daughter, wife, rickshaw-puller father and mother at home.
On March 16, he visited Beldanga town, about 5 km from his village, and bought the lottery ticket. He discovered the next day that he won it.
Seikh met the officer-in-charge of Beldanga police station for help including security as the news got around and hundreds of people crowded his modest dwelling.
“I want to start a business with a part of that amount and also build a house and ensure my family is not hard-pressed anymore,” he said.
The prize money has been deposited at a bank account at the advice of the police officer and his well-wishers, he said.
Source: freepressjournal.in