An Indian man who won Dh100,000 from Abu Dhabi's Big Ticket raffle is refusing to claim his prize because he thinks it is a scam.
Organisers have been trying to reach Kammu Kutty since November, but he is no longer accepting phone calls from them.
The Big Ticket has had thousands of winners since its launch in 1992, helping to change the lives of many who have purchased the Dh500 ticket.
“The unique element in this situation is that Mr Kammu Kutty already accepted the call from the Big Ticket team but he didn’t believe the Big Ticket representative, despite many attempts to reassure him by advising him to check the Big Ticket website and social media platforms,” a press release from Abu Dhabi Big Ticket said.
“He continued to believe that it was a fraud call and as a result, no longer accepts call from the Big Ticket official phone number.”
Organisers were also searching for Sreendharan Pillai Ajith, who won Dh250,000 in Big Ticket's Second Chance campaign.
He was unreachable for a while, but he contacted organisers on Thursday morning after reading about his new fortune online.
Last year, an Indian man in Oman who had won Dh20 million could not be contacted for two days because he had provided the wrong number to organisers.
Abdussalam NV split the funds equally with seven of his colleagues.
How Abu Dhabi's Big Ticket has changed lives — in pictures
-
UAE residents who struck lucky with Abu Dhabi's Big Ticket draw attended a gala dinner. Organisers of the draw celebrated the winners' good luck at the Alexandra Dhow Cruise in Dubai Marina. All photos by Leslie Pableo / The National -
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 -
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 -
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 -
The ticket for the grand prize costs Dh500
