Forensic tests settle case over 'stolen' winning tickets

Forensic tests settle case over 'stolen' winning tickets

Pol Col Sompop Sangkornthong, superintendent of Buri Ram's Nang Rong district police station, explains the results of fingerprint and DNA tests on the two disputed winning lottery tickets on Tuesday. (Photo by Surachai Piragsa)
Pol Col Sompop Sangkornthong, superintendent of Buri Ram's Nang Rong district police station, explains the results of fingerprint and DNA tests on the two disputed winning lottery tickets on Tuesday. (Photo by Surachai Piragsa)

BURI RAM: A man who claimed he had purchased two lottery tickets that won first prizes three months ago and they had been stolen and later cashed in by a Roi Et couple had his hopes dashed on Tuesday.

Police informed him a forensic examination found partial fingerprints from the married couple who claimed  the prize money, but no evidence he had ever handled the tickets.

Pol Col Sompop Sangkornthong, superintendent of Nang Rong police station, said on Tuesday that he now had the results of police fingerprint and DNA tests on the two disputed first-prize tickets. 

Phansak Suechumsaeng, 31, of Buri Ram’s Nang Rong district, filed a complaint with police on Aug 20 that two lottery tickets he purchased that had won first prizes in the Aug 16 draw had been stolen.

He later learned that a couple from Roi Et province had cashed them in and been paid the 12 million baht prizemoney on Aug 23 and Aug 24, he told police.

Police began an investigation and later summonsed the couple for questioning. Contractor Witthaya Thanasapsin and his wife Khwansiri, told investigators they had won 18 million baht with three tickets, not two.

The contractor insisted he had bought three tickets from a vendor in Buri Ram. He and his wife produced photos of the tickets as evidence.

The tests on the disputed tickets had not detected Mr Phansak's fingerprints, but did find partial prints of the Roi Et couple, the Nang Rong police chief said.

The drawn-out case has attracted a lot of public attention, with people curious to know the real owner of the two winning tickets.

A lottery vendor initially said he sold the two winning tickets to the complainant, Mr Phansak, and was ready to be his witness. However, the vendor later changed his story and said Mr Witthaya also bought tickets from him.

Police will question both sides in the dispute again before deciding whether to file charges, Pol Col Sompop said.

A sad-looking Phansak Suechumsaeng, right, 31, of Buri Ram’s Nang Rong district, after learning the results of the forensic examination of the two disputed lottery tickets. (Photo by Supachai Piragsa)

The Roi Et couple show photos of the winning tickets they bought. (Photo by Supachai Piragsa)

Lottery vendor Suwat Chanplang, 42, shows a copy of the ticket book featuring the winning lottery tickets. (Photo by Supachai Piragsa)

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