Woman turns in $10k prize-winning 4D ticket to police after finding it at Loyang temple

A woman discovered a lottery ticket at a temple in Loyang on Monday (Feb 3) and decided to hand it over to the police, after the winning combination struck $10,000 later that weekend.

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, Chen Yiming (transliteration) said that she had visited the Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple on the sixth day of Chinese New Year to watch a lion dance performance when she spotted the 4D ticket on the ground after the show.

As the temple was crowded at the time, the 63-year-old hawker was unable to identify the owner of the ticket and brought it home with her.

Upon closer inspection, she discovered that the ticket had been purchased that day and was for the Feb 8 and 9 draws later that weekend.

The owner of the ticket had placed $2 small and large bets on the numbers 3388 and 8833. 

According to data from the Singapore Pools website, 3388 struck first prize on Feb 9, with the lucky punter walking away with $10,000. 

Upon seeing the draw results, Chen decided to hand the ticket over to the police at Sengkang Police Station on Feb 10. 

"$10,000 is not a small sum, and the owner of the ticket must be very anxious. I hope that they will come forward after seeing the news," Chen said, adding she never intended to keep the money for herself. 

"What's mine is mine, and I don't want money that's not mine," said Chen, who shared that she'd chanced upon and returned wallets containing cash and cards on two previous occasions.

She also told Shin Min that she'd last won $2,000 from the lottery two years ago, expressing how  "winning is not easy", which is why she hoped to return the ticket to its rightful owner.

According to Section 403 of Penal Code 1871, the dishonest appropriation of property, such as keeping a stranger's lottery ticket and claiming the prize for oneself, is an offence.

Those found guilty can face a fine, a jail term of up to two years, or both.

xingying.koh@asiaone.com

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