UAE | General

Luck favours debt-hit taxi driver in Ajman

The life of a debt-hit taxi driver changed overnight after winning a Postcard Millionaire ticket.

  • By Sunita Menon, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 17:19 August 5, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • My father was a tailor and I used to spend my time after school at his shop. My skills in tailoring came to my rescue and I somehow managed to earn an income for my family, says Manoj Kumar Mambra, Indian taxi driver.
  • Image Credit: Supplied Picture

Dubai: His hopes to return home and embrace his one-year-old were crushed when he found out he had to pay Dh3,000 in traffic fines. Luckily, three days later he had Dh100,000 in his account after buying a winning Postcard Millionaire pack.

Manoj Kumar Mambra, an Indian taxi driver from Ajman booked his air ticket to Kerala on July 27 but when he applied for leave, his company informed him that he should pay off his traffic fines of Dh3,000. "My flight was on September 4 and I cancelled it. When I was informed about the traffic fines, I was shocked and unhappy. I got into my taxi, took out my wallet and kept gazing at the passport size photograph of my son who was born after four years of marriage," said Mambra who had come to the UAE to work as a taxi driver immediately after his son was born.

"I did not want to inform my wife about my inability to come home as I had earlier provided her with the day and the date on which I will be arriving home. Borrowing money from my colleagues was out of the question as they all have their own problems to deal with. I was losing sleep over the traffic fines," he said.

Mambra has been the sole breadwinner in his family after his father died when he was in grade 8. "My father was a tailor and I used to spend my time after school at his shop. My skills in tailoring came to my rescue and I somehow managed to earn an income for my family. I even got my sister married.

"I then got a chance to go to Muscat and work there as a tailor but I wanted to earn more and so I secured myself a GCC driver's license. Meanwhile my mother wanted me to get married and settle down in India." Mambra explained that one day while he was busy attending to his clients at his tailoring shop, he learnt that a taxi company in the UAE was looking to recruit those who hold a GCC driving license.

Mambra had purchased 70 Postcard Millionaire packs before buying his winning pack on July 28. Postcard Millionaire is a promotion by Emirates Post and Dh30 packs are available across the UAE.

"When I received the verification call ... I felt my worries melt away and a huge sense of relief. I could not hold back the tears. I am looking forward to building my house in Mallapuram, Kerala. My wife and son deserve the house since most of their needs have been sidelined in the process of taking care of all my other family needs," said a tearful Mambra.

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