On a seemingly ordinary Sunday, October 5, 2025, the serene locality of Nettoor in Ernakulam was anything but quiet. A buzz of electrifying excitement filled the air around lottery agent Latheesh’s stall. Residents gathered, their faces alight with anticipation, all hoping to catch a glimpse of the lucky individual who had just clinched the astounding ₹25 crore jackpot from the Thiruvonam bumper lottery. Rumors had spread like wildfire that the elusive winner might finally reveal themselves.
Despite the palpable hope, a local tending to Mr. Latheesh’s stall offered a dose of reality. “There’s no point in waiting; they won’t be coming here,” he stated, trying to temper the crowd’s expectations.
Yet, the crowd persisted, their hopeful gazes fixed on the empty space. As time wore on, a collective disappointment settled over the faces of those who had gathered. Even a passing auto driver, his voice tinged with both disbelief and a lingering hope, inquired, “So, they’re really not going to show up, are they? Are you absolutely certain?”
The intense speculation regarding the winner’s identity gained momentum after Mr. Latheesh, the very agent who sold the golden ticket, hinted that it might belong to a woman residing in Nettoor. He revealed that she had visited his shop not once, but twice, on the day the much-anticipated results were announced.
The immense public scrutiny, intense media attention, and the potential for countless requests for financial assistance likely played a role in the winner’s decision to remain out of sight. A Lotteries department official shed some light on the process: “The winner has the option to remain anonymous if they choose. They can either visit our office directly or submit the winning ticket and necessary documents through a bank, which will then forward them to us. Once the winner formally comes forward, the substantial prize money will be transferred to their bank account within approximately one month.”
This desire for anonymity isn’t unfounded. In 2022, Anoop B., a Thiruvananthapuram resident who won a previous Thiruvonam bumper lottery, quickly discovered the downsides of public recognition. In a widely shared video, Mr. Anoop lamented that the sudden fame made it impossible for him to live peacefully in his own home or even take his unwell son to see a doctor.
However, the privilege of anonymity isn’t entirely without its limits. “The Lotteries department reserves the right to disclose the winner’s identity if deemed necessary,” the official clarified, adding, “This condition is explicitly stated within the lottery ticket itself.”