Thai teacher turns to DNA to prove US$1 mln lottery win

BANGKOK: A DNA test will decide the fate of a near US$ 1 million lottery prize after a Thai teacher said he lost the winning tickets which were later claimed by an ex- cop.

A bitter legal wrangle unfolded after 50-year- old teacher Preecha Kraikruan filed a complaint that he had lost the five lottery tickets which won a draw last month.

Authorities discovered the 30 million baht ( US$ 920,000) prize had already been collected by retiredpolicemenCharoonWimon, 62, in western Kanchanaburi province.

No one has been charged yet in this case as we have to wait for the DNA test results.

With both parties claiming the cash is rightfully theirs, forensic police are now stepping in to determine whose finger prints match the ticket stubs.

“No one has been charged yet in this case as we have to wait for the DNA test results,” Krissana Sapdet, deputy Kanchanaburi provincial police commander, told AFP.

A forensic official with the justice department said the results are expected next month.

The government- run lottery, which is drawn twice a month, has a fanatical following in a kingdom where nearly all other forms of gambling are banned.

Ma ny p u nt e r s in the superstitious country turn to ‘lottery numerologists’ to choose ticket numbers, often linked to special dates or other auspicious events. — AFP

Krissana Sapdet, deputy Kanchanaburi provincial police commander

Police investigate the scene as the body of a man (centre) lies on the ground after local officials and police opened fire on a vehicle carrying a woman wounded in a separate shooting incident who was being transferred to hospital in Manila. — AFP photo