A man suspected to have stolen £670 worth of lottery tickets was left rather disappointed when he only won a measly £8.
The man was reportedly spotted by The Policía Municipal de Madrid just 600 metres from where he is suspected to have committed the theft. The force found him claiming the prize at a kiosk.
The incident occurred in the Puente de Vallecas district of Madrid last Sunday at a ONCE kiosk, the National Organisation of Spanish Blind People on San Diego Avenue.
The alleged victim of the theft explained how he had gone to the bathroom and, to his horror, upon returning the kiosk had been forced open.
He said: “I was away for 15 minutes to go to the toilet at a nearby bar. I left the stall perfectly closed, with the window lowered to its maximum and the kiosk door locked. But upon returning, I noticed that the window had been forced open and then that the door was open.”
The man claims someone had taken seven bundles of lottery tickets, specifically from various types of what is known as ‘scratch and win’, which the seller valued between 600 and 800 euros (£502 and £669) based on their retail price, according to data gathered by ABC.
Just 15 minutes after the incident was reported, the police located the suspect cashing in seven winning tickets that bore serial numbers and were of the same category as those ‘scratch and win’ stolen from the blind seller.
When questioned by municipal police officers, the suspect said: “I bought them from a fat bald man for 10 euros (£8.37); he was selling them on the street.”
Amusingly the value of his lottery prizes came to a meager £8.
When arrested, the alleged thief was taken first to Infanta Leonor Hospital in Santa Eugenia (Villa de Vallecas), as he required medication. He faces an accusation of theft with force.
