Dh10m Big Ticket winner ‘had a feeling’ he would win
Indian says clearing off debts will be top priority
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Idon’t know if you will believe or not if I say I had a feeling that I would win this time,” said Indian expat Britty Markose, winner of the Dh10 million ‘Big Ticket’ Abu Dhabi raffle yesterday.
“And so I was very calm when I got the call. I wasn’t following the draw live, but I had a feeling something good would happen today,” said Markose, while speaking to Gulf News by phone even as his colleagues could be heard in the background with their demands from the bounty.
“That was my line-manager, he has just asked for one million,” said Markose with a laugh.
He works in the technical department at Al Shafar General Contracting Company and had come to the office to complete some unfinished work on his day off.
“Most of my colleagues are not working today so I will finish my work and then head to my room. There won’t be an extravagant celebration. Actually I have a sore throat today and it’s paining a lot. But looks like I will be having a lot of talking to do as calls and congratulatory messages have been pouring in,” said Markose, whose jackpot was the Dream 10 Million Raffle Draw’s 197 series.
As usual, the list of the prize winners comprised mainly Indians - nine out of 10 to be precise. The only person to break that total dominance was Pakistan’s Waris Ali Sardar Ali, who walked away with the fifth prize of Dh70,000. The Land Rover Series 13 winner was won by Ravi Mada of India.
Markose, who has been in Dubai since 2004, has been taking the Big Ticket for a couple of years but isn’t a regular.
“I won’t say I buy Big Ticket every month but in between, yes. Maybe this was the sixth time. Last I had bought was five months back if not more,” said Markose, who has sent his family back to Kerala.
“My wife Shilly and my two sons — Michel, 3 and Mitcheel, 5 — are in Kerala to be with my ailing father and my house construction work is also on. I still have my loans here and I just made a top-up recently. But please don’t ask me what will I do with the cash. I just haven’t decided but clearing off the debts will be my top priority,” said Markose.
Last month too, another Indian expat Mohammad Kunhi Mayyala, who had purchased ticket No. 121013 at Big Ticket Abu Dhabi, had won Dh7million.
The month before also saw Indian expat George Mathew from Ajman, an employee with Gulf News, clinch Dh12 million. In January, another Indian expatriate, Hari Krishnan became a multi-millionaire with the jackpot of Dh12 million.