A daily wage earners joy of having won Rs two crore in a state lottery was short-lived as he was told by officials a month later that he was not the real winner,as a computer glitch resulted in his ticket number being published in newspapers. 65-year-old George Mammen of Kattappana in Idukki district was declared to have won the second prize of Rs one crore of Kerala Governments Onam Bumper lottery about a month back. After the draw,the Lottery Department published the prizewinning-tickets number in leading newspapers and on its website. An overjoyed Mammen found that his ticket had brought him luck,and deposited it in a local co-operative bank. The hopes of Mammen and his relatives,however,were dashed when he got a letter from the Director of Lotteries recently saying his was not the prize-winning ticket,and apologising for the faux pas. The official explanation was the mistake was caused by a computer printer error. The Government,however,has promised to give Mammen a consolation amount of Rs 10 lakh for the heartburn caused to him by their grievous mistake. Government sources said four officials in the Lottery department have been placed under suspension for the bungling which dashed the hopes of a senior citizen. Interestingly,no one has so far come forward to claim the prize with the ticket which has won the prize. According to seasoned lottery buffs,the actual winner might have torn off the ticket after failing to see the number in the results published in the newspapers.
