Thief steals handbag with winning €125,000 lottery ticket inside

Jun 14, 2021, 12:45 pm (9 comments)

El Gordo

Caught after making a big purchase

By Kate Northrop

ALZIRA, Spain — A thief who stole a purse with a winning lottery ticket worth €125,000 (US$152,000) inside has finally been caught after he used the money to buy a house.

On May 31, the Guardia Civil, law enforcement in Spain, arrested an unnamed 52-year-old man at the house he bought in Valencia with the winnings he stole.

The theft took place on Dec. 19, 2020. Video surveillance footage in a restaurant shows the man walking past a woman seated at a table and swiping her handbag hanging on the back of her chair while pretending to talk on the phone. He then hides the purse underneath a jacket and walks away.

Much to the crook's delight, the bag contained a significant €905 (US$1,152) in cash and a lottery ticket for the then-upcoming El Gordo drawing, the most well-known, largest raffle in history, measured by prize payout.

Just three days later on Dec. 22, 2021, the annual drawing took place. The ticket in the thief's possession ended up winning the second prize worth €125,000, which the man fraudulently claimed and used to buy himself a house in Alzira, a city in the province of Valencia in eastern Spain.

On the evening the victim's bag was stolen, she contacted the police, but the gravity of the crime truly sunk in when the annual drawing took place and it was revealed just how much money was sitting in that purse. On the day of the drawing, she extended the complaint with local authorities.

It took five grueling months, but law enforcement finally caught and arrested the man at the house he bought using the winnings from the stolen ticket. According to EuroWeeklyNews, he has a long history of theft and was granted bail by a Court of Instance and Instruction in Alzira. He has since been released with charges.

Thanks to BobP for the tip.

Lottery Post Staff

Comments

Mata Garbo

Her purse contained $1100 cash plus a ticket worth $125,000. He had her purse which means he had her address. He could have at least dropped off about 60 or 70 thousand at her house once he cashed in the ticket. Don't leave the poor woman with nothing. But no......he had to go buy a house. I hope he enjoys his years in prison.

SurrenderNo Pity!

Tony Numbers's avatarTony Numbers

It said in the story the gravity of the situation really sunk in when she realized how much money was in the purse. Wait How did she know the ticket was a winner when it was not in her possession??????

PHIL85

Quote: Originally posted by Tony Numbers on Jun 14, 2021

It said in the story the gravity of the situation really sunk in when she realized how much money was in the purse. Wait How did she know the ticket was a winner when it was not in her possession??????

The tickets are numbered sequentially (#1, #2, #3 . . .)  She must have known her ticket #.

Tony Numbers's avatarTony Numbers

Quote: Originally posted by PHIL85 on Jun 14, 2021

The tickets are numbered sequentially (#1, #2, #3 . . .)  She must have known her ticket #.

Yeah maybe, but aren't the tickets bearer instruments? Since she didn't sign the ticket anyone could cash it. But the dumb ass was filmed swiping the purse. Maybe he should have swapped out the winning ticket with a losing ticket, and turn the purse over with the cash, and apologize

RickyRocksteady

Quote: Originally posted by Tony Numbers on Jun 14, 2021

Yeah maybe, but aren't the tickets bearer instruments? Since she didn't sign the ticket anyone could cash it. But the dumb ass was filmed swiping the purse. Maybe he should have swapped out the winning ticket with a losing ticket, and turn the purse over with the cash, and apologize

Spoken like a person with this skill & knowledge. Just sayin'

Tony Numbers's avatarTony Numbers

Quote: Originally posted by RickyRocksteady on Jun 14, 2021

Spoken like a person with this skill & knowledge. Just sayin'

LOL Nah bruh just not my bag. A lot of info missing from the story.

sully16's avatarsully16

Glad he got caught , guessing this wasn't his first theft.

Stratogee's avatarStratogee

Exactly!!!! Did she have a copy or did she have the ticket number for the particular drawing hmmm

Stratogee's avatarStratogee

Quote: Originally posted by Tony Numbers on Jun 14, 2021

LOL Nah bruh just not my bag. A lot of info missing from the story.

Yea a lot is missing and they let him out, and he is a known thief.  That <snip> wouldn't happen on America 

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