62-year-old lottery vendor cheated by stranger with forged ticket in Kollam 

KOLLAM: A stranger cheated an elderly woman selling lottery tickets at Mayyanad in Kollam. He cheated her by altering the numbers on lottery tickets and falsely claiming that the tickets had won prizes. The victim subjected to the cheating has been identified as Ambili Amma (62) of Dhavalakkuzhi.

The elderly sells lottery tickets by walking from place to place to raise money for the treatment of her husband, who is bedridden. She sells tickets in area between Mayyanad and Koottikkada. The accused allegedly cheated her of Rs 4,000 by handing over tickets with altered numbers. He convinced her that four tickets had won Rs 500 each and another ticket had won Rs 2,000. She realised that she had been cheated only when she went to the shop in the evening to exchange the tickets and collect the prize money.

The unidentified man had altered the digit 2 to make it look like zero on the tickets. Although the numbers had been changed using a pen, the alterations were not easily noticeable at first glance, said the woman.

She expressed her grief, saying it was hard-earned money she saved even by skipping tea, and she never thought someone the age of her son would do this to her. Based on Ambili Amma's complaint, Eravipuram police have registered a case and launched an investigation.