Indian store clerk in Tennessee arrested for allegedly stealing customer’s $1 million lottery ticket

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Twenty-three-year-old Meet/Meer Patel, (his first name has been spelt two different ways in news reports) an Indian store clerk working at a Shell gas station, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, has been arrested for allegedly stealing a $1 million scratch-off lottery ticket from a customer and attempting to claim the prize.

Patel is charged with theft of over $250,000, and currently detained at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center with a bond set at $100,000. The prize has been collected by the actual winner, a father from Antioch, who was subsequently notified of his prize.

“The feel-good side of this story is the [man] never knew he was the winner until we made contact with him,” Detective Lt. Steve Craig is quoted saying in an NBCNews report,  adding, “That is absolutely life-changing money.”

According to news reports, the customer bought two lottery tickets at the gas station on July 13, both of which were winners. One ticket was worth $1 million, while the other was for a smaller amount. The customer, who wished to remain anonymous, gave both tickets to Patel, who paid him for the lesser amount and allegedly threw away the $1 million ticket in the trash, noted the Sheriff’s office.

After throwing the ticket in the trash, “Mr. Patel is then seen later in the video celebrating in the store after scratching off the front of the ticket and learning it was a $1 million winner,” Detective Dennis Ward is quoted saying in the NBCNews report, citing a video footage obtained from the store.

Patel reportedly attempted to claim the $1 million prize with the Tennessee Lottery but was prevented from collecting it after employees grew suspicious.