Phone off, house locked: Punjab family vanishes after winning Rs 1.5 crore lottery in Faridkot. The reason will shock you

In Punjab's Faridkot district, a daily-wage worker won a lottery of Rs 1.5 crore but the family's happiness was overshadowed by fear and anxiety. As the news of their windfall spread in the neighbourhood, they panicked and grew anxious that they could become targets for criminals seeking ransom or attempting robbery, leaving the family with no other option but to hide, reports TOI. Nasib Kaur and her husband, Ram Singh, both daily-wage farm labourers from Saideke village in Faridkot district, hit the jackpot after they bought a lottery ticket worth Rs 200 that won them the top prize in the Punjab State Lottery.

But the couple feared extortion threats and fearing for their safety, they locked their home, switched off their mobile phones, and moved to a secret location. A police team had to visit the family to reassure them that they are safe following which they gained the confidence to return home.

"We came to know only today that a lady named Nasib Kaur had bought a lottery ticket worth Rs 200 about 15-20 days ago, in which she won a prize of Rs 1.5 crore," Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Tarlochan Singh told NDTV.


"The family expressed fear that someone might harm them or demand ransom due to their sudden fortune. We have assured them that the police are always here for the safety of the public, and no harm will come to their family," he added.

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How the couple knew they won the lottery?

According to the TOI report, the couple did not immediately know that they had won the lottery. After a lottery seller from the nearby town of Sadiq discovered that Rs 200 ticket bought by Nasib Kaur has favoured them, he dialled her husband Ram Singh. Nasib Kaur had won the first prize on December 6. But since Ram Singh was in Rajasthan, the calls went unanswered.

After the whereabouts of the family was known, the lottery seller accompanied them to Chandigarh to submit the winning ticket. Ram Singh had been buying lottery tickets for nearly two years, and this time he decided to try his luck with a costlier Rs 200 ticket. The family turned out to be the winner of the first prize of Rs 1.5 crore, said lottery seller Raju. Their family includes three daughters, all married, and an unmarried son.

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Concerned that the sudden windfall might draw the attention of extortionists, the family left their home for an undisclosed location but returned on Wednesday. Faridkot deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Tarlochan Singh said the police are committed to ensuring everyone’s safety, adding that a team visited the family after they came back home.

(With TOI inputs)