Expats win 20M right before shutting business
abu dhabi — How fortunes change in a flash! A Dh20 million windfall came in the nick of time for three friends who were down and out and were planning to sell their loss-making business.
Call it a scene out of a movie when lady luck smiles to make the protagonist’s woes vanish. Sounds too good to be true but three Indians from Ras Al Khaimah won the Dh20 million in the Big Ticket raffle held in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
The three men had thrown in the towel and were about to close down their limousine business they had started some months back. On Friday afternoon, the friends were in talks with prospective buyers to sell the two limos they owned, but just minutes before they were to head into another round of meetings to secure funds, the news broke. They were millionaires!
Jijesh Korothan, who will share the prize money with his friends Shahjahan Kuttikattil and Shanoj Balakrishnan, is relieved. “I have been here for 16 years with my wife and daughter. For six months, my friends and I were running a limousine rental service. But it didn’t work out well for us and we ran into financial trouble.”
Jijesh said the business ran into difficulties as the tourism sector has been hit by coronavirus concerns. “For many days, we are biding our time indoors as there is no demand for our services. With office rent, EMIs on limos, Covid-19 developments and an uncertain future, we planned to wind up our operations.”
On Thursday, they met a client to sell their cars but the price offered was a dampener.
At 3pm on Friday, they were to meet another prospective buyer, but they were informed just minutes before they were to go into the meeting that they had hit the jackpot.
This Friday’s draw was held at 2pm instead of the usual 7.30pm because of restrictions during the National Disinfection Programme.
Korothan had planned to return to India after his failed business venture. He, however, watched the draw live when host Richard announced the winning ticket number 041779 and his name.
“God has listened to our prayers. What more can I say? This is beyond words. I couldn’t recollect my ticket number but when my name was announced, it was a magical moment. We had made plans to return to Kerala as things were falling apart here. Now, we can develop our business.”
The men bought the winning ticket on March 19. The celebrations, though, have been put on hold. “This is no time for party but to help others. We have to fight this pandemic first,” he said.