UAE: Indian hits jackpot; wins 7 million Dirhams in ruffle-draw
An Indian man has hit a jackpot by winning a whopping 7 million Dirhams (nearly Rs. 13.1 crore) in a monthly raffle in the UAE, hours before he was set to leave the country for good. Tojo Mathew, 30, working as a civil supervisor in Abu Dhabi, had bought the ticket on June 24 at Abu Dhabi airport before boarding a flight to India.
Mathew was leaving UAE to join wife in Delhi
"I bought the ticket at the Abu Dhabi airport just before boarding the flight for India on June 24. I was leaving the UAE for good to join my wife, who got a job in New Delhi. I still cannot believe I won," Mathew said.
Latest addition to long list of lucky winners from India
Mathew received the news yesterday when they checked the Big Ticket website. Nine others won 100,000 Dirhams (Rs. 18.7 lakh). Winners included five Indians, one Pakistani and a Kuwaiti. Earlier in April, an Indian driver in Dubai won 12 million Dirhams (Rs. 22.45 crore) in a raffle draw. In January, another Keralite won 12 million Dirhams in the biggest-ever raffle prizemoney in Abu Dhabi.
Mathew's dream of owning house can come true now
Mathew said his big dream was to own a house in Kerala. "That has been my long pending dream. Now it can become a reality with the raffle money," he said.
