While the thieves face the risk of arrest, the state lottery operator La Francaise des Jeux said that no one had submitted the ticket to cash out.
In what can be termed as a comic turn of events, thieves used a stolen card to buy a French lottery ticket which turned out to be a winner of 500,000 euros (USD 523,000). However, they vanished before cashing in, and are currently among France’s most famous fugitives. The man whose card was stolen is being identified as Jean-David E, and he is offering to split the cash with the lucky winners. Additionally, he wants his wallet back too.
While the thieves face the risk of arrest, the state lottery operator La Francaise des Jeux said that no one had submitted the ticket to cash out. “It’s an incredible story, but it’s all true,” Jean-David’s lawyer, Pierre Debuisson, told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Earlier this month, Jean-David found out that his backpack had been stolen from his car in the southern city of Toulouse, which included his bank cards and other documents, the lawyer said. Upon realising the theft, Jean-David asked his bank to block the card, and learned it had already been used in a local shop.
At the shop, a vendor revealed to him that two apparently homeless men had used one of his cards to buy the winning scratch-off lottery ticket. “They were so totally happy that they forgot their cigarettes and their belongings and walked out like crazy people,” Debuisson said.
Jean-David filed a police complaint about the theft, but is ready to withdraw it if the thieves come forward so that they can share the money, Debuisson said. “Without them, no one would have won,” Jean-David said on public broadcaster France-2.
Prosecutors may try to seize the winnings, considering them illegally obtained gains, the lawyer said. The lawyer launched a national appeal Thursday asking the perpetrators to contact his office to make a deal.
“You risk nothing. We will share with you,” he said, adding, ” You would be able to change your lives.” “The ticket will eventually expire”, he warned.
(With AP inputs)