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LIC man who owns a bodega wins Cash4Life

Ajit Rana

Dec. 30, 2016 By Christian Murray

A Long Island City man who bought a CASH4LIFE ticket at the bodega he owns in Bayside last month drew the winning numbers and will be receiving $1,000 a day for the rest of his life.

Ajit Rana, 44, a long-time Lottery player, bought the ticket on November 11 at his Bayside Supply smoke shop on Union Turnpike.

Rana was unaware that he had the winning ticket at the time of the drawing. He only discovered that he had won the following day, when he heard people talking about how the winning ticket had been sold at his store.

“I thought to myself, ‘I wonder if it’s me?’” he said. “I checked my tickets and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I was just in shock,” he continued.

All six numbers matched his ticket.

Rana immediately called his wife with the news, but she didn’t believe him. “She thought I was joking,” he recalled. “So, I went home and showed her the ticket. We just kept checking the numbers over and over again. We were both just totally surprised!”

The top prize on the CASH4LIFE game is $1,000 a day for life. Rana will receive a net check totaling $227,410 every year for the rest of his life.

Rana said he will take his time deciding how to spend his fortune, but does know that he wants to buy a house.