Winning the lottery is not without its dangers

February 8, 2026

Lottery winners consider themselves very lucky. Nowadays, lotteries offer prizes worth crores of rupees. Lottery winners believe they have acquired immense wealth by simply buying a ticket for a few rupees. Undoubtedly, the joy of a lottery winner knows no bounds. They feel that without any hard work, they have been blessed with wealth, and their life will now become golden.

But in Punjab, and in other states where the allure of lotteries attracts ordinary people, the greed of criminal elements is also becoming increasingly evident. They are threatening these winners with death for ransom. Many bumper lottery draws are held in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.

If an ordinary person wins the lottery, enemies quickly emerge. For example, in November 2025, a vegetable vendor from Jaipur won a 11 crore rupee lottery in Punjab, and in December 2025, a laborer couple in Faridkot won a 1.5 crore rupee lottery. But as soon as the lottery winners’ identities were revealed, they started receiving threats. A time comes when the congratulations from neighbors fade, but threatening calls demanding ransom begin. Such incidents occur when the lottery results are advertised on social media, or when data is leaked, or when information is leaked locally and reaches criminals and con artists.

Then, lottery winners have no choice but to hide their identity and go underground. Now, lottery winners are even afraid to collect their winnings. Previously, lottery winners happily contacted the seller after their ticket number was announced, but now the situation is such that lottery winners avoid revealing their mobile number and home address.

Many winners send a relative or trusted person to the prize distribution ceremony instead of going themselves. Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav says that if anyone receives threats, the matter will be investigated. In most cases, relatives are found to be involved in such acts. Lottery winners are advised not to panic over threats, but to inform the police, who will provide them with security. They should not try to settle the matter privately with those making the threats.