Malayali wins Rs 45 crore in Abu Dhabi Big Ticket draw

DUBAI: Luck has once again smiled on a Malayali in the Abu Dhabi Big Ticket draw. In the 285th series of the Big Ticket Abu Dhabi, a Malayali has won a prize worth crores. The winner is 32-year-old Shamon Shaji. The winning ticket number is 229425. He has bagged a prize of 20 million dirhams (approximately Rs 45 crore).

Shamon had been regularly participating in the draw for the past three months. He runs a business with his wife and was visiting his parents in Dubai when luck struck. He received the winning call from the organisers while travelling with his family. His wife said they have not yet decided how to use the prize money, but may explore investment opportunities in Dubai.

Malayalis also secured major wins in the weekly draw held recently, with three out of the four winners coming from the community. Rizwan (44), Najia Nasreen Yahya Mukkaalachal Pothichi (25), and Jamshad Mathanath (39) won prizes. The fourth winner was Shafiullah Santali (46), an Afghan national. All four winners will receive 24-carat gold biscuits. Rizwan works as a category manager in Bahrain. Najia, a homemaker, had been trying her luck consistently for the past three years. Jamshad is a hotel employee based in Dubai.