R33 million Lotto winner robbed of ticket: Report

Police are investigating a case of theft after a winning lottery ticket was stolen, reportedly by men dressed in police uniform, in Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal, the Saturday Star reported. 

 

Sipho Ngcobo, 26, claimed he had bought a National Lottery ticket with the winning numbers for last Saturday's R33 million jackpot. 

 

The newspaper's sister publication Isolezwe spoke to the family and learnt that Ngcobo had told a number of people he had the winning ticket. 

 

According to the report, he gave the ticket to his mother, Jabulile Ngcobo, for safekeeping until the following day, when they planned to claim the prize. 

 

Jabulile said two men wearing police uniforms and bearing firearms arrived at their home later and demanded the ticket.

 

Ngcobo was asleep in his bedroom during the robbery and was reportedly hysterical when he was told of the theft. 

 

Spokeswoman of the National Lottery operator Gidani, Dudu Ndendwa, told the newspaper the prize had been claimed, and that a team of lottery investigators worked with police when winning tickets were reported missing. 

 

-Sapa