Meer Patel

A Gujarat-origin gas station clerk in USA’s Tennessee was arrested for stealing a customer’s lottery ticket worth $1 million (₹83.71 lakh) and claiming it as his own.

The accused, Meer Patel, worked at a Shell gas station in Tennessee’s Murfreesboro. He was caught stealing a customer’s ticket from the trash can after the customer had discarded it.

The customer had bought two $20 lottery tickets from the station, of which he won $40 from one ticket and $1 million from another. Patel returned the ticket with a $40 price, and told the customer that the other ticket was worthless.

After the customer discarded the winning ticket, Patel was caught stealing it in the CCTV footage.

Investigating the incident, Detective Steve Craig revealed that Patel informed the lottery winner that there was no prize on one of the tickets, and retrieved it from the trash.

He then tried to claim the prize at the Tennessee Lottery but was met with suspicion, leading to the discovery of his theft, reported US media.

According to Detective Craig, Patel will appear in court on July 30 for a hearing.