An Indian-American family running a store in Southwick, Massachusetts, has won many hearts for their honesty. The family is being praised for their honesty in returning a $1 million lottery ticket to the woman who owns it, stating, “We don’t want the money.”
As WBZ TV reported on Monday, “I was a millionaire for a night,” joked the owner Maunish Shah’s son Abhi Shah who found the winning ticket. He initially thought of buying a Tesla car when he discovered the ticket, but he then decided to return the ticket to Leas Rose Fiega, who bought the lottery ticket from his mother Aruna Shah. She won the $1 million grand prize in the Massachusetts State Lottery’s “Diamond Millions” instant game.
“Who does that? They’re great people!” exclaimed Fiega. “I am beyond blessed.”
The Lucky spot store owner, Maunish Shah, told WWLP TV, “We couldn’t sleep for two nights,” when we found the ticket. Hence they decided to consult his parents in India.
Quoting his grandmother, Abhi Shah told WBZ, “It’s not right to keep the ticket. Let’s give it back to them. If it’s in your luck, you will get it anyhow.” Therefore, he went to find the lady who bought the ticket.
“He came to my office and said his mother and father would like to see me,” Fiega said to Salem News. “I was working, but he insisted I come over to his place. And I went over there, and that’s when they told me. I was in total disbelief. I cried and hugged them.”
Maunish Shah said when he handed Fiega the lost lottery ticket, she freaked out and cried like a baby. She immediately sat down on the floor right there.
The Massachusetts State Lottery’s Diamond Million tickets have squares and numbers that are hidden and when the coverings are scratched off. They only reveal the numbers that could be the winning combination.
However, Fiega did not scratch the squares properly. She said she was in a hurry during lunch break. So, she scratched it quickly and looked at it, which didn’t look like a winner, and she handed it over to them, so they throw it away.
The Shah family has received congratulatory calls and messages, and praises. One of their customers told WBZ that they are good people, and one can figure that out by talking to them.
