An Indian national who worked as a taxi driver in Dubai for nearly a decade has won the Dh20 million jackpot through Abu Dhabi’s Big Ticket draw.
On Saturday, Renjith Somarajan was announced as the new ‘Dh20 Mighty Millionaire’ during a live stream by the draw’s organisers.
The 38-year-old, who moved to Dubai 13 years ago, will share his winnings equally with nine friends who purchased the Dh500 ticket with him.
“I couldn’t believe it when my name was called during the jackpot,” he told The National.
“It’s always been a dream to win the lottery. I was earning about Dh5,000 as a taxi driver for eight years, then the salary was reduced when I started another job. It was always difficult to meet all of our needs, but now things will get better.”
Mr Somarajan and his friends will each receive Dh2 million after the funds are split equally among them.
He said the money would help him support his eight-year-son Niranjan and his wife, as well as his sisters in his home country.
“We are still in shock and haven’t really decided what we will do with the money, but I know it will help me take better care of my family, my sisters who are in Kerala, buy land in India and I might partner with a friend for a new business in Dubai,” Mr Somarajan said.
“Our lives were okay when I was working as a taxi driver, but then it became a little unstable. When the pandemic hit, the office I was working for closed for a while and we didn’t get a salary, so it was very difficult then.”
The friends who bought the ticket with Mr Somarajan are from Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Iran and moved to the UAE many years ago to support their families back home.
In January, another Indian national had won the Dh20 million jackpot through Abu Dhabi’s Big Ticket draw.
Abdussalam NV, who lives in Oman, was informed about his winnings a day after the draw, as he could not be reached.
The weekly Mahzooz draw has also been changing lives. Wendy Arroz, a Filipina office manager in Dubai, was recently reunited with her daughter, who she had not seen for two years, after winning Dh200,000 in a draw.
How a UAE lottery has changed lives - in pictures
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UAE residents who struck luck with Abu Dhabi's Big Ticket draw attended a gala dinner on Tuesday. Organisers of the draw celebrated the winners' good luck at the Alexandra Dhow Cruise in Dubai Marina. All photos by Leslie Pableo / The National -
The ticket for the grand prize costs Dh500 -
Shahed Ahmed Moulvifaiz, a Bangladeshi car garage owner in Al Ain, won Dh10 million less than a week ago. He wants to bring his family to the UAE, expand his business and spend on his youngest son's education -
Richard Isaac and Bouchra Yamani, the two presenters who pick out the raffle tickets and call the winners, interacted with the winners. Some of attendees had won jackpots of between Dh1 million to Dh15 million, while others won Dh90,000 -
'The National' spoke to winners about how they have spent their grand prize. Shivamurthy Gali Krishnappa won Dh12 million last month. He said he wants to save for his children's future. For now, he is still working as a mechanical engineer for a stainless steel production company -
Jayaprakash Mariyan Philip had won the Dh1 million prize with nine other people. The funds were split equally, leaving him with Dh100,000. He said he has paid off part of his bank loans -
Zaheenn Kausar was visiting her husband in Abu Dhabi from Pakistan, when he bought a ticket under her name. She proved lucky for her family after winning Dh90,000. She wants to pay for her daughter's university tuition and buy a car for herself -
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 5,000 people would gather during a live event in Abu Dhabi to watch the draw take place. Since 2020, the draw streams live on social media channels, bringing in even larger crowds -
Many people buy multiple tickets together and then split the prize equally. There are also those who win after buying a ticket alone, allowing them to keep the entire jackpot -
The Abu Dhabi Big Draw has been changing lives since 1992
