Restaurant worker and friends win Dh25 million in Abu Dhabi's Big Ticket draw

Winner bought the Dh500 ticket with 20 colleagues and each will take home nearly Dh1.2 million

Sajesh Njattuketty, second from right, and Praveen Antony, second from left, will share Dh25 million prize money with 18 other colleagues.

An Indian man and his 20 colleagues scooped Dh25 million ($6.8m) in Abu Dhabi's Big Ticket draw but say they are clueless about what to do with the money because the reality is still sinking in.

Each of them will take home nearly Dh1.2m.

Sajesh Njattuketty, 47, works as a purchasing manager at Ikkayees restaurant in Dubai’s Karama area.

He has been living in the emirate for 24 years and won the grand prize on Thursday.

“Money can take you many places but right now I'm not sure what I will do with it," he told The National.

Mr Njattuketty said he and his fellow workers ― all from Kerala in India ― have been buying three tickets every month for the past two years.

“This month we bought four tickets, but we didn’t expect to win,” said the father of three.

He and his colleagues work at the restaurant’s two branches.

His fellow worker Praveen Antony, 35, said it still feels like a dream.

“We are in shock, we still haven't calculated how much each one of us gets,” he said.

He said Mr Njattuketty told him about their win and he immediately called his wife in India, but she did not believe him.

“She thought it was a joke and only believed me after I sent her the message from Abu Dhabi's Big Ticket,” the father of two said.

He said all of them will sit together and discuss what they can do with their money.

“We can't force one another on what to do with the cash but as friends, we want to discuss so we can make the right decision," he said.

The next draw date is December 3, with Dh30 million, a Range Rover Series 7 and Maserati Series 6, up for grabs.

Each ticket costs Dh500.

Abu Dhabi Big Ticket: winners tell how jackpot changed their lives

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  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

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  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

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  '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

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  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

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  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

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  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

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  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

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  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

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  The Abu Dhabi Big Draw has been changing lives since 1992

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  The ticket for the grand prize costs Dh500