A group of friends had the surprise of their life on Tuesday after scooping the grand prize in the Big Ticket weekly draw in Abu Dhabi, taking home Dh12 million.
Lady luck was on Ajman resident Mujeeb Chirathodi’s side last month when he bought ticket number 229710 for Dh500 online.
The cost of the ticket was split between 10 friends from India and Bangladesh and now each will take home about Dh1.2 million.
Mr Chirathodi, 49, a lorry driver from India, said he first learnt about the Big Ticket draw after seeing an advert on YouTube.
Since then he has purchased a ticket every month with his friends, in the hope of winning.
“I really needed the money and finally I won after trying for more than a year,” he said, after he received a call from raffle organisers informing him of his good fortune.
He was filling his lorry with fuel after finishing work for the day, when he got the phone call that changed his life.
Four winners took home cash prizes in the latest series 239 draw, ranging between Dh50,000 and the staggering Dh12m jackpot.
Indian resident Viswanathan Balalubramanian took home Dh1 million, Jayaprakash Nair bagged Dh100,000 and Jordanian resident Ibrahim Freihat secured Dh50,000.
Another lucky winner, Saad Ullah Malik from Pakistan, won a new set of wheels, walking away with a BMW 430i.
Big Ticket is the region's largest and longest-running raffle for cash prizes and luxury cars.
This month, participants have the chance to win an impressive Dh20 million jackpot.
Also included in the promotion is the chance to win a second prize of Dh1 million as well as Dh500,000 every week when they purchase a cash prize ticket.
The weekly Dh500,000 cash prize draw dates this month will be on May 9, 17, 25 and one next month on June 1.
Big Ticket winners — in pictures
