Three Malayalees among four winners in Abu Dhabi Big Ticket weekly draw; Expat shares winning tip

ABU DHABI: In this month’s third weekly e-draw of the Abu Dhabi Big Ticket, luck smiled on Indian participants, with four winners sharing a prize of 1,00,000 dirhams (approximately Rs 25.63 lakh). Each winner received 25,000 dirhams (around Rs 6.4 lakh). Notably, three of the four winners are Malayalees.

The winners are Tinu Varghese, Sujith Edappally, C P Aijan, and Mumbai native Shashidhar Salin.

Tinu Varghese, an accountant from Pathanamthitta working in Sharjah, purchased the ticket along with five friends. The 42-year-old has been trying his luck for five years. He said the prize money will be shared among the group and will help clear debts. Tinu also shared his strategy--he sometimes chooses numbers similar to previously winning ones, while at other times he selects them randomly.

Sujith Edappally, a safety engineer who has been working in Dubai for 16 years, bought the ticket with 10 colleagues. Interestingly, they won the prize the very next day after purchasing the ticket. The group has been regularly buying tickets for the past 10 years. Sujith expressed hope that this win is a sign of bigger success in the future.

C P Aijan bought the ticket directly from a store along with friends. He said he is extremely happy and will share the prize money among the group.

Shashidhar Salin (51), a group finance manager who has lived in Dubai for 27 years, has been buying tickets for seven years. This is his first win. He purchased the ticket with four friends, and the winning number was chosen by his daughter. He said the prize money will be used for his daughter’s education and family needs.

The next weekly draw of the Abu Dhabi Big Ticket is scheduled for May 1.