KASARAGOD: The lucky winner of Abu Dhabi Big Ticket raffle this time is Thasleena from Kasaragod. Thasleena Ahmed Puthiyapurayil, a native of Vadakke Kovval in Thrikkarippur, will get the prize money of Rs 32 crore (Dh1.5 crore). Thasleena is the wife of Gaddafi, one of the owners of the MRA Restaurant Group, which operates in India and Qatar.
The second prize of Dh350,000 went to an unemployed Malayali living in Dubai. Prem Mohan lost his job on January 26, the day he took the ticket for the prize. Last time the first prize of Rs 40 crore went to NV Abdul Salam.
Thasleena says that she still cannot believe her luck. Thasleena is living in Qatar with her 21-year-old son, 15-year-old daughter and her third child who is one-year-old. She is the sister of Tamil cine actor Arya (Jamshi). Many called Thasleena from back home and congratulated her. Her husband Gaddafi and his family own MRA bakery and restaurant in major cities such as Thalassery, Vadakara and Kozhikode. The woman's relatives are running hotel business in Kanhangad.