Kalpetta: A private bus conductor in Kalpetta has become a millionaire overnight after winning ₹1 crore in the Dhanalekshmi lottery, from tickets he had not yet paid for.

Jayesh Kumar, who works as a conductor on the ‘Pookottil’ bus operating on the Kalpetta–Sultan Bathery route, had asked employees at Amma Lottery Wholesale and Retail, located at the Kalpetta New Bus Stand, to reserve five tickets for him, promising to pay later.

The tickets were kept aside by employee Swathi Sathyan. When the draw was held at 3 pm on Wednesday, one of Jayesh’s tickets emerged as the jackpot winner. Swathi called Jayesh to break the news. 

“At first, I didn’t believe it. I thought she was joking. I didn’t remember the full serial number, only that it ended in 7900, '” Jayesh said.

The winning ticket was formally handed over to Jayesh by Amma Lottery owner Arosh Kiran and the staff. Jayesh, who has been a conductor for 20 years and lives in Karani with his mother Lakshmi, has handed over the ticket with the South Indian Bank in Kalpetta. He said he plans to buy property with the prize money.