Indian expat wins over $5mn in Abu Dhabi raffle

Abu Dhabi, January 4

An Indian expat won 20 million dirhams ($5,445,169) in the Big Ticket raffle held in Abu Dhabi, the media reported.

Abdussalam NV, originally from Kerala, now resides in Muscat. He bought the winning ticket online on December 29, 2020, Gulf News reported on Monday.

Big Ticket officials could not initially locate the winner and put out a notice for assistance.

Speaking to Gulf News on Monday, Abdussalam said: "The organisers were trying a different international code and perhaps that is why they could not reach me." The father of two, he said a good portion of the money will go into securing his children's future.

"It is a big news and I want to save it for my future," he added.

Besides Abdussalam, another Indian expat. Saju Thomas, won 3 million dirhams in the Big Ticket raffle.

One raffle ticket costs 500 dirhams, but for 1,000 dirhams one can three tickets in a buy-two-get-one-free offer.

Tickets can be bought from the official website www.bigticket.ae or through Big Ticket stores at the Abu Dhabi International Airport arrivals hall counter and Al Ain International Airport. IANS