Brother raised questions over lottery win death

THE brother of a Chicago man poisoned with cyanide shortly after winning the lottery said it was he who asked authorities to reconsider the initial finding of death from natural causes.

Imtiaz Kahn said he had nightmares about his brother before his death and his suspicions led him to push for more tests. Urooj Khan, 46, an immigrant from India, died on July 20 as he was about to collect his US$425,000 in Illinois State Lottery winnings.

Tests revealed in November that Urooj Khan had been poisoned. His body was exhumed in January for more testing.

Khan's widow, Shabana Ansari, and other relatives have denied any role in his death.

Urooj Khan had moved to the US in 1989, setting up several dry cleaning businesses and buying into some real estate investments.

Khan said he planned to use his winnings to pay off mortgages, expand his business and donate to St Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

The night before his death, Khan ate dinner with his wife, daughter and father-in-law. Sometime that night, Khan awoke feeling ill. He died the next morning in hospital.

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