A gas station clerk in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, has been arrested and charged with theft after allegedly stealing a $1 million winning lottery ticket from a customer. The incident occurred when the customer purchased two $20 Diamond and Gold lottery tickets at a Shell station. The customer asked the clerk, Meer Patel, to check if the tickets were winners.
Patel paid the customer $40 for one ticket and claimed the other was not a winner, throwing it in the trash.
However, lottery officials grew suspicious when Patel attempted to cash the winning ticket. They launched an investigation and reviewed security footage from the store. The video revealed Patel celebrating after discovering the ticket’s true value and retrieving it from the trash. The footage also showed him pocketing the ticket after the customer left.
The rightful owner of the ticket was contacted by investigators. Initially skeptical, the customer agreed to visit the Tennessee Lottery office to claim his prize. The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office praised the lottery officials’ vigilance and the thorough investigation that led to the rightful owner receiving his winnings.
Lt. Detective Steve Craig stated, “The customer never knew he was the winner until we made contact with him. This is life-changing money.”
Patel has been charged with theft of over $250,000, a Class A felony, and was booked into the Rutherford County Jail. The sheriff’s department emphasized the importance of lottery players checking their tickets personally to avoid similar incidents.
