E-Paper
Family quarrels add intrigue to Indian-origin lottery winner death
In the week since news surfaced that an Indian-American man in Chicago was poisoned to death with cyanide just before he was to collect a lottery payout, surprising details about his convoluted family saga have trickled out daily.
In the week since news surfaced that an Indian-American man in Chicago was poisoned to death with cyanide just before he was to collect a lottery payout, surprising details about his convoluted family saga have trickled out daily.
Urooj Khan's widow and siblings fought for months over the businessman's estate, including the lottery check. His father-in-law owed tens of thousands of dollars in taxes.
His 17-year-old daughter from a previous marriage had moved out of her stepmom's home and into his sister's after his death.
Then his ex-wife came forward, announcing in anguish that she hadn't seen her daughter in more than a decade and hadn't even known she was still in the US.
The slowly emerging family backstory and ever-expanding cast of characters have added layers of intrigue to a baffling case in which authorities have revealed little and everyone is wondering: Who did it?
Urooj Khan's ties with family strained
The victim's relatives hint at family squabbles. And Khan's wife, Shabana Ansari, has endured clutches of reporters outside the family home and business, asking even whether it was a lamb or beef curry dinner she made for Khan on the night he died.
