Shopkeeper who attempted to steal a $230,000 winning lotto ticket from a deaf pensioner gets jailed
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Winning the lottery is a dream come true for many people.
It can provide a person with financial security and the opportunity to live a life of luxury.
While winning the lotto can bring someone extreme joy, one must be wary of the security threats that come with winning a huge lump sum of money.
Some potential dangers of winning the lottery could include losing money, being targeted by criminals, or becoming overwhelmed by the responsibility of managing such a large sum of money.
Fortunately for one deaf British pensioner, the shopkeeper who tried to trick him by telling him that none of his tickets won and eventually stealing the winning ticket from him has been caught and jailed.
Frank Gowland, 81, almost had his EuroMillions £130,000 ($231,000) win snatched from him after he had his tickets checked by 52-year-old Narendra Gill and had been told that all of his tickets were losers.
It was said that after the shopkeeper lied to Mr Gowland about his win, the pensioner left the White Rose Shopping Centre — where Narendra ran a lotto shop — with his 77-year-old wife Sue.
Lotto shopkeeper Narendra Gill attempted to steal 81-year-old Frank Gowland’s winning ticket. Credit: Daily Mail.
The pensioner's win was unbeknownst to him until he received a phone call from the police, reporting the theft of his winning ticket by the shopkeeper.
Mr Gowland, who is partially deaf and is using a hearing aid, admitted that he was shocked upon hearing the news.
"'I had no clue I'd won until I got this phone call. I couldn't hear what the PC was saying so I asked my stepson to deal with it."
"He said to the officer, "You must be joking, this is a scam". Anyway, it wasn't and I had won."
It was also reported that Narendra allegedly handed eight crumpled tickets back to the pensioner after she "checked" them, taking the winning ticket which won £130,928 (approximately $233,000) after the EuroMillions draw on May 4, 2021.
A staff from Camelot, which runs the lottery, caught Narendra after she was allegedly checking out the ticket on the phone while serving customers at her GT News shop.
It was said that the shopkeeper claimed that the ticket was gifted to her and had no idea where it was purchased.
Mr Gowland had his tickets check at the now-closed GT News shop. Credit: Google.
Camelot then reported the suspicious activity and had police check the CCTV footage of the shopping centre where Mr Gowland was seen leaving the premises with his wife.
It was reported that Mr Gowland had eventually received his payout in November last year.
Narendra Gill was sentenced to 28 months in prison yesterday after admitting to theft and fraud.
How awful is this story? Just goes to show that people will do anything for money. Be careful with who you trust, members!
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