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National News

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Lottery Winner’s Widow Didn’t Alert Authorities

January 9th, 2013 12:42 pm Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — The widow of a Chicago lottery winner who died of cyanide poisoning as he awaited a $425,000 check says she cannot believe her husband had enemies and that she has no idea which family member asked authorities to take a deeper look into his death.

Shabana Ansari spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday, a day after news emerged that her husband, Urooj Khan, had not died of natural causes in July, as authorities initially concluded. Prosecutors, Chicago police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office are investigating 46-year-old Khan’s death as a homicide, but they have not given any details, announced any suspects or ascribed any possible motive.

They have also not identified the relative who asked for an expanded screening after the initial cause of death was released. Ansari said she has spoken with police detectives about the case but that she didn’t make the request and doesn’t know who did.

She would not talk about the circumstances of her husband’s death, saying it was too painful to recall. She said only that he fell ill shortly after they ate dinner together.

“I was shattered. I can’t believe he’s no longer with me,” the short, soft-spoken Ansari said tearfully, standing in one of three dry-cleaning businesses her husband started after immigrating to the U.S. from India in 1989.

Ansari described Khan as a hard-working and generous man who sent money to orphanages in their native India.

“I don’t think anyone would have a bad eye for him or that he had any enemy,” said Ansari, adding that she continues to work at the dry cleaning company to honor her husband and protect the businesses he built.

Khan had planned to use his lottery winnings to pay off mortgages, expand his business and make a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Ansari said her husband did not have a will and the money is now tied up in probate.

She said she hopes the truth of what happened to her husband will come out and that she can’t recall anyone unusual or suspicious coming into their lives after the lottery win became public.

Kahn’s death was initially ruled a result of the narrowing and hardening of coronary arteries, after the basic toxicology screening for opiates, cocaine and carbon monoxide came back negative.

Authorities plan to exhume Khan’s body in the next few weeks in hopes they might be able to test additional tissue samples and bolster evidence if the case goes to trial. Cook County Medical Examiner Stephen Cina said he did not believe additional testing would change the conclusion that Khan was a homicide victim.

“Based on the investigative information we have now and the (toxicology results), we’re comfortable where we are right now,” he said.

Ansari, 32, moved to the U.S. from India after marrying Khan 12 years ago.

Ansari and Khan were born in Hyderabad, a city in southern India, and their story is a typical immigrants’ tale of settling in a new land with big dreams and starting a business. Their daughter, Jasmeen, now 17, is a student in the United States.

“Work was his passion,” Ansari said of her husband, adding that she plans to stay in the U.S. and keep his businesses running.

“I’m just taking care of his hard work,” she said.

She recalled going on the hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, with her husband in 2010. One of Islam’s pillars requires every able-bodied Muslim to make the journey at least once in their lifetime.

She said her husband returned even more set on living a good life and he stopped buying the occasional lottery ticket.

Nonetheless, he couldn’t resist buying one for an instant lottery game in June while at a 7-Eleven near his home. It was a $1 million winner.

Khan opted for a lump sum of slightly more than $600,000. After taxes, it amounted to about $425,000, said lottery spokesman Mike Lang. The check was issued on July 19, the day before Khan died.

Some other states allow winners to remain anonymous, but Illinois requires most winning ticket holders to appear for a news conference and related promotions, partly to prove that the state pays out prizes. Khan’s win didn’t draw much media attention, and Lang noted that press events for $1 million winners are fairly typical.

“We do several news conferences a month for various amounts,” he said.

___

Associated Press writer Don Babwin contributed to this report.



  • http://profile.yahoo.com/7OTKGCYF6INWWW2SYAYDJLB3ZU Kristen Geoghegan

    what does the headline mean? She didn’t alert authorities to what?

    • http://profile.yahoo.com/MCP776EOOTTWTDNH4QHQE5JP4A Ang

      someone alerted authorities that the victim may have been poisoned – it was not her. Read the first sentence Yeah

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_6J2OIKLJC2A62I3Q4KW73RFKBA RRLLEE

    You win big money one day, you die the next day. What is that?

    • Wally Bing

      Some might call it coincidence, or premeditated murder, I call it pure bad luck.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Gerry-Mcdermott/100001799521413 Gerry Mcdermott

      The so called gentle sex,they would take the eye out of your head,while you watched.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_6J2OIKLJC2A62I3Q4KW73RFKBA RRLLEE

    As he was alone with his wife when he died, she killed him.

  • 1newdelhi

    Yes make them pay if this is the truth?

    As he has made no comment about HSBC breaches of the US Bank Secrecy Act, the Trading with the Enemy Act and assorted money laundering offences. and shareholders left holding the bag with a $1.9 Billion Fine.
    One has to wonder why?

    Could it be two of HSBC Board of Directors have positions with the Government?

    Rona Fairhead non-executive member of the Board of the UK Government’s Cabinet Office.

    Sam Laidlaw a member of the UK Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group; and Lead Non-executive Board Member of th Department for Transport.

    Then you have the Chairman Mr Flint not telling the truth to shareholders, you only have to go to youtube: HOW THE HSBC CHAIRMAN MR. FLINT LIED TO SHAREHOLDERS .
    You may like to try HSBC complaints India

    Michael Mason-Mahon concrned shareholder.

    • kmorgana

      I think you are posting to the wrong article… what this case has to do with HSBC is beyond me. However, HSBC and dirty money laundering having something to do with persons in politics is highly likely. Why the facts of our CIA and other dark projects being involved in the drugs smuggling is no secret, the media seems to almost ignore this diabolical and sickening scheme. Meanwhile, banks are tossing good families out on the streets for a few hundreds of dollars- while they are “excused” from billions owing!!