Indian expat wins 7 million dirhams in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi, Oct 4 (IANS) An Indian expatriate has hit a jackpot by winning 7 million dirhams in an Abu Dhabi raffle draw.

Mohammed Kunhi Mayyala, who hails from Kerala and is currently working as a salesman in the capital, was declared the latest winner of Big Ticket Abu Dhabi’s "Super 7 Series" draw on Wednesday, the Gulf News reported.

Mayyala joins a long list of expatriates who turned multi-millionaires overnight after betting on the popular raffle draw. He said he was surprised to receive a call from the raffle organisers and initially thought it to be a prank.

"I could not believe it. I thought it’s just a fake call but it was my lucky day," Mayyala said, adding that he will use part of the money for the treatment of his friend whose kidneys have failed.

He will spend rest of the money for renovating his house in Kerala and start a business, the report said.

The winner in September also hailed from India and won 12 million dirhams through the monthly jackpot draw.

Aside from Mayyala, seven other Big Ticket participants won a cash prize of 100,000 dirhams each. Four of the minor prize winners were from India, two from Pakistan and one was from Kenya.

Big Ticket is the largest and longest-running monthly raffle draw for cash prizes and luxury cars in Abu Dhabi.

According to data from two of the biggest raffle draws in the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi’s Big Ticket raffle and Dubai Duty Free’s Millionaire Draw), Indian nationals prove to be the luckiest.