A seemingly insignificant mistake proved to be the undoing of a 39-year-old Turkish man who allegedly stabbed a Greek shop owner to death in the seaside suburb of Paleo Faliro.
The suspect, who had applied for asylum in Greece, was arrested in Athens after attempting to cash a lottery ticket he had stolen from the victim's store.
Police said the suspect confessed to the crime, which involved the fatal stabbing of a 61-year-old shop owner and the theft of cash and the validated lottery ticket.
The ticket, which had been scanned and left with the shop owner for redemption, was flagged in the national lottery system after the victim's death.
This led authorities to instruct lottery offices to be on alert, ultimately leading to the suspect's arrest when he attempted to cash the ticket at a shop in central Athens.
The suspect, who is being held on charges of premeditated murder, claimed he acted in self-defense after a quarrel escalated.
However, police reported that the victim suffered 30 stab wounds, mostly in the back. The brutality of the crime has shocked the local community. The investigation is ongoing.