In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, a gas station clerk’s attempt to deceive a customer out of a $1 million lottery ticket ended in arrest after surveillance footage revealed the illicit act. The clerk, identified as Meer Patel, 23, faced charges of theft exceeding $250,000.
On July 13, the unsuspecting customer bought several tickets and asked Patel to check if any were winners. Patel scanned them but concealed the fact that one was a jackpot winner, discarding it presumably as trash. The store’s security video later caught him retrieving and celebrating his find after the customer left.
Patel ventured to the Tennessee Lottery’s district office in Nashville on July 16 to claim the prize. However, lottery officials grew sceptical after scrutinizing his identification and his account of discovering the ticket in the garbage. They alerted the police who reviewed the store’s video footage.
The rightful owner, a father from Nashville’s Antioch area, was unaware of his win until detectives contacted him, turning a potential loss into a joyful surprise of a life-changing fortune.
Patel, currently held on $100,000 bond, is scheduled for a court hearing on July 30. The incident highlights the ongoing issue of lottery ticket thefts, with several similar cases reported over the years.
