A GROUP of female rubbish collectors were left stunned after scooping a whopping 100 million rupees on the Kerala lottery.
Eleven workers pooled their money to buy a 250-rupee lottery ticket in Parappanangad in the Malappuram district back in June.
AlamyThe 11 eleven lucky winners won 100 million rupees between them[/caption]
But were overjoyed after being told they’d won a life-changing amount that will be now shared between them – a huge 6.3 million rupees each.
The women make just 250 rupees a day collecting non-biodegradable rubbish from households – which is barely enough to make ends meet.
Most have been forced to borrow cash or take out loans to fund their children’s education.
The group often pooled money together for lottery tickets – putting in small amounts each.
But last month, the group decided to buy a 250 rupee ticket for the monsoon bumper prize lottery.
One of the winners Kuttimalu, 72, didn’t initially have enough cash to contribute – but another member of the group offered to put in 12.5 rupees for her.
The two both added 12.5 rupees each and agreed to share any prize money, while the rest of the group put forward 25 rupees each.
Kuttimalu told the BBC: “We didn’t expect to win such a huge amount of money!”
Another winner, Radha said: “This is the fourth time we bought a ticket for the bumper prize.
“We are fourth time lucky!”
The eleven workers only found out they had won the day after the draw – when one of the women’s husbands checked the winning numbers.
Cherumannil Baby said she would use the winnings to build a new house after her old home was washed away during devastating floods.
K Bindu, 50, said she would use the money to finish work on her house after her husband sadly died from liver failure when they couldn’t afford to pay for his medical treatment.
But she will also use some of the cash to fund her daughter’s education.
Lakshmi, 49, says her family was facing financial ruin when her husband was unable to get any construction work – but now she says her worries are over.
Leela, 56, revealed the winnings will be spent on her daughter’s much-needed surgery.
Despite winning the life-changing amount the lucky ladies say they’ll still be coming to work every day.
Leela said: “We decided one thing, we will not leave this job because it was this collective that brought us prosperity.”
After tax deductions, the group will receive 6.3 million rupees each while two members will split 6.3 million rupees between them.
