Singapore — A man has offered a $4,000 reward for the return of lost 4D tickets that have won $27,000.

The man, a 52-year-old private hire driver with the surname Zhong, told the Shin Min Daily News that he bought 4D tickets at a Singapore Pools retailer in Chinatown on a whim, using the store’s unit number #01-49.

Mr Zhong said he wrote his name and IC number on the back of the tickets, when staff advised him to do so in case the tickets got lost.

He then walked over to another Singapore Pools retailer to place horse-racing bets. At about 7 pm, while he was at the second outlet, he realised that tickets with the number 0149 had won the first prize.

Mr Zhong checked his wallet and confirmed that he had the winning tickets. But when he re-checked his wallet after placing the horse-racing bets, he realised that the winning tickets were no longer there.

Mr Zhong recalled that someone bumped into him after he checked his wallet the first time. He told Stomp: “I suspect the tickets could have been stolen while I was distracted because I remember someone brushing against me when I was in the betting queue. But I’m not sure if I dropped the tickets and they got swept away.”

He has since informed the betting store and made a police report. While Mr Zhong cannot collect the prize money until he finds his tickets, anyone who has possession of the tickets also cannot claim the prize money as he has made a police report.

Mr Zhong is now offering a reward for the return of the winning tickets. He told Stomp: “It’s already a police case, so whoever picked up the tickets cannot claim the prize money. I promise to give a $4,000 reward to whoever found my tickets and can return them to me as soon as possible.”