A car park attendant in Dubai who scooped Dh100,000 in the Mahzooz weekly prize draw has vowed to spend the money on his mother’s urgent eye operation.
Ahmed, a 54-year-old Indian worker, said the win was an answer to his prayers, and that he will also spend the cash on education fees and his home.
“My wife helps the less fortunate in India in whatever way she can with the money I send my family,” said Ahmed.
“This unexpected win in the month of Ramadan is proof that in life every good deed is rewarded.
“I will use this money to educate my kids, complete the construction of my house and pay for my mother’s eye operation.
"This prize money has made my Ramadan so much more special.”
Another winner who was given a Ramadan to remember thanks to the lucky dip was Abu Dhabi construction worker Mohammed, also from India.
With a new baby on the way, the Dh100,000 will go some way to supporting the expense of a new young family.
“I checked my emails after my evening prayers on Saturday and that’s when I found out I won,” said Mohammed.
“Ramadan is a month of giving and this is the best gift I’ve ever received.
“I have a new baby on the way, so this win couldn’t have come at a better time as it will help me secure my daughter and my baby’s future," he said.
"My relatives who have suffered financial setbacks due to the pandemic will also benefit from my win.
“Mahzooz has improved my life as well as the lives of many others through me.”
Another winner this week was Bilal, a 43-year-old Pakistani national, who had been job-hunting in Dubai for two months before landing his Dh100,000 win just a week before he was due to return to Pakistan.
“After I lost my job in Malaysia, I came to the UAE because I had heard this is the land of opportunities where anyone can make it big,” he said.
“Mahzooz has now changed the course of my life with this Dh100,000 – I won’t have to go back to my family in Pakistan empty-handed.”
Bilal said he would donate some of his winnings to charity and buy his own house.
The prize draw was the 72nd held by Mahzooz since its inception.
Participants are automatically entered into the Ramadan Mega Raffle Draw throughout the month whenever they purchase a bottle of water.
Expat winners continue to benefit from the cash windfalls.
Indian cook Rama, who works in kitchens in Dubai, scooped the Dh10 million ($2.7m) jackpot in the Mahzooz draw in March.
He became the first multimillionaire from the weekly draw.
Lottery winners tell of how jackpot changed their lives: in pictures
