Thiruvananthapuram, 07 Oct (H.S.): A Taliparamba resident who won the ₹30-crore first prize in Kerala’s Thiruvonam bumper lottery has claimed the winnings while choosing to remain anonymous, with the Lottery Department withholding personal details at the winner’s request.

The winning ticket, TL 360615, secured the highest prize in this year’s draw. The department has respected the ticket holder’s wish for privacy and has not disclosed the winner’s name or other identifying information.

Previous bumper winners have faced requests for financial assistance from strangers, including people travelling from distant places. Such experiences could explain the latest winner’s decision to avoid publicity, although the individual has not publicly stated a reason.

According to the payout calculation cited in the report, the winner will receive approximately ₹16.47 crore after deductions towards agent commission and taxes.

The agent’s commission amounts to ₹3 crore, or 10 per cent of the prize. The remaining ₹27 crore attracts income tax, surcharge and health and education cess, with these deductions together estimated at ₹10.53 crore.

This year’s Onam bumper generated ticket sales worth ₹450 crore. Each ticket cost ₹500, comprising a base price of ₹357.14 and goods and services tax of ₹142.86.

Palakkad recorded the highest sales, with 20.95 lakh tickets, followed by Thrissur with 10.62 lakh and Thiruvananthapuram with 8.64 lakh. Kasaragod registered the lowest sales at 2.71 lakh tickets.

The first prize was increased to ₹30 crore this year. Last year, 75 lakh Onam bumper tickets were distributed.

The prize structure also included ₹1 crore each for 20 second-prize winners and ₹25 lakh each for 20 third-prize winners.

Ten ticket holders each were eligible for fourth prizes of ₹5 lakh and fifth prizes of ₹2 lakh. Numerous smaller prizes of ₹5,000, ₹2,000, ₹1,000 and ₹500 were also included, offering additional opportunities for ticket buyers across the state to secure a lottery payout.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman