The Asawasi Police in Kumasi, are making every effort to unravel a mystery surrounding a lotto winning of ?426.1 million said to have been made by a Kumasi-based legal practitioner about a fortnight ago.

Mr Kwadwo Koduah the lawyer, was said to have staked three numbers (23-32-27) of the VAG West Lotto at ?781,000 on July 18.

The numbers "dropped" alright in the draw the next day, but the authorities of the Asare Original Pay All Enterprises, operators of the lotto, have refused to pay the money because they claim to have detected something fishy with the winning.

An agent of the company, Kofi Arhin, based in Sunyani, and his nephew, Daniel Anti, have been handed over to the police to assist in investigations into the case.

'Times' investigations indicated that the lawyer visited a client in Sunyani on July 18, and took advantage of the visit to stake some numbers, including the three winning ones, at Arhin's lotto kiosk manned by Anti.

When the numbers won in the draw the following day, the lawyer informed the Brong-Ahafo Regional Manager of the Asare Original Pay-All Enterprises of his winning.

Mr Koduah was accordingly asked to contact the agent in whose kiosk he had staked the lotto. Barely three hours later, he called at the company's offices with the duplicate and triplicate copies of the stakes (tickets).

The Regional Manager and the other staff of the company were shocked to see the duplicate and triplicate copies in the lawyer's possession because under normal circumstances, the original should go to the company's office, the duplicate to the staker and the triplicate to the agent.