Washington, Jan. 11 (ANI): The widow of an Indian-origin one million dollars Chicago lottery winner, who was poisoned with cyanide before he collected his prize, has battled with his siblings over control of his estate, including his prize money, court documents show.
Urooj Khan, who owned several dry cleaning operations and some real estate, died suddenly on July 20, just days before he was to collect his prize from the Illinois Lottery.
With no signs of trauma, authorities initially ruled he died of natural causes, but a relative came forward with suspicions that prompted a detailed examination that led to the startling conclusion that he was intentionally poisoned, CBS News reports.
The court documents have added 'a layer of drama to an already baffling case'.
In another development Wednesday, a lawyer for the man's widow, Shabana Ansari, said Chicago police detectives questioned her in November for more than four hours at a police station and executed a search warrant on the two-story home where she lived with Khan.
Attorney Steven Kozicki said Ansari maintains she had nothing to do with the death of her husband and he has no indication that investigators might be looking at her as a potential suspect.
Under Illinois law, Khan's estate would be split between his wife and 17-year-old daughter from a previous marriage.
However, Khan's brother Imtiaz and sister Meraj Khan expressed concern in court filings that Khan's daughter might not get her fair share.
The siblings, who live in the Chicago area, are not staking a claim to any of the money for themselves.
They initially won an order from a probate judge in September to freeze the lottery check, asserting his widow tried to cash it, the report said.
According to the report, the next status hearing is scheduled for January 24. (ANI)
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