The lottery of the Thailand government is drawn twice a month and has a large following in the country. It’s a stark contrast in a nation where almost all forms of gambling is banned. In the latest draw a local Thai teacher is trying to prove that he is the rightful winner by the use of a DNA test. The latest prize is worth close to $1 million.
The Thai teacher said he lost the winning tickets which were later claimed by an ex-cop. A legal battle ensued after the 50-year old teacher Preecha Kraikruan filed a complaint that he had lost the five tickets which won the draw of the previous month. When authorities investigated, they found that the grand prize of 30 million baht ($920,000) had already been collected by a retired 62-year old policeman named Charoon Wimon from the western province of Kanchanaburi. Both parties have claimed to be the rightful owner, but now forensic police are stepping in to discover 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,” said Krissana Sapdet, deputy Kanchanaburi provincial police commander. An official with the Thailand Justice department said that the results can be expected next month. The government-run lottery is patronized by many locals who are superstitious and often hire numerologists to choose the winning ticket numbers. These numerologists link these numbers to special dates and events in a person’s life.