In a peculiar turn of events in France, two thieves used a stolen bank card to purchase a winning lottery ticket valued at €500,000 (approximately $823,000). However, the assailants disappeared before they could cash in, making them infamous fugitives. The victim of the theft, Jean-David E., expressed his willingness to share the winnings with the perpetrators in return for the return of his stolen wallet.
Jean-David discovered that his backpack, containing his bank cards and personal documents, was taken from his car in Toulouse. After blocking the card, he found out that it had been used by two men, believed to be homeless, to buy the winning scratch-off ticket. Witnesses reported the duo leaving the shop in a state of excitement, forgetting their belongings.
While Jean-David has filed a police report about the theft, his lawyer has made a public appeal for the thieves to come forward to negotiate a deal, emphasising that they could change their lives by doing so. Meanwhile, there’s a risk that the lottery winnings could be seized by authorities as ill-gotten gains if the thieves are arrested. As it stands, the purchased ticket remains unclaimed, and its validity is timed, heightening the pressure on all involved.