Winner of Dh10m Big Ticket draw plans to ‘save a lot’
Indian national in Qatar to share prize money with 39 colleagues
The winner of the latest Abu Dhabi-based Big Ticket draw, which offered a Dh10 million prize on Sunday night, has no immediate plans regarding spending his share of the money.
Naheel Nizamudeen, an accounts representative living in Qatar, shares the win with 39 colleagues – his share is Dh250,000 (around 50 million Indian rupees).
Many people called me to ask as to how we picked the winning number. We have been purchasing Big Tickets for a long time and our luck finally changed.”
Naheel Nizamudeen |
Nizamudeen had no idea he was announced as the winner on the livestreamed draw on Sunday night.
Unreachable
He was unreachable on the phone following the announcement, but organisers finally got through yesterday, after contacting his colleague.
The winner told Gulf News he has not decided yet what he wants to do with his prize money. “I will, of course, save a lot of the money,” he added.
Nizamudeen is not married. He has an elder sister who is married, and an elder brother, who is also married. His father lives in India. “Unfortunately, my mother died a few years ago.
She would have been so happy to hear of my win.”
He added: “We are all grateful for the win. I cannot explain the feeling. We purchased the winning ticket as 40 colleagues and it’s such a relief to us. Most of us are hard-pressed for finance. It’s a blessing.
“Many people called me to ask as to how we picked the winning number. We have been purchasing Big Tickets for a long time and our luck finally changed.”
Other winners
In the same draw on Sunday night, another Indian national, Angelo Fernandes, won Dh1 million. And, for the first time, a South Korean national, Jaeeun Lee, won a Big Ticket prize, taking home Dh100,000.