Dubai: A Gulf News subscriber was in for the surprise of his life when he found out that he was the lucky winner of Dh50,000 in gold.
The newspaper ran a subscription offer, which lasted until the end of 2009, in which readers who renewed their subscriptions online were then automatically qualified for entry into a raffle.
Five lucky subscribers won gift vouchers worth Dh10,000 in gold last December, and subscribers still had the chance to win the grand prize of Dh50,000.
The raffle for the grand prize was drawn several days ago and was won by Chalapathi Srinivasan, 45, who at first found it difficult to believe that he was actually a winner.
"I read a story a couple of days before about a gang that was phoning people and telling them that they won lots of money. I was sceptical at first because I did not want to get involved in a scam, so I asked for the telephone number and called back later. I was very pleased when I called back and found Gulf News at the end of the line. This is the best prize I have ever won," said Srinivasan, who works as an insurance broker and is a father of two.
Although he has not yet decided what he is going to buy with the gift voucher, the one thing he is certain of is who he will give it to. "I definitely want to give it to somebody who is very special and also because she deserves it."
Srinivasan has been a subscriber to Gulf News since he moved to the country three years ago. This is the second time that he has won a prize from the newspaper. The first time was a year-and-a-half ago when he won Dh10,000 by sending a text message.
"As long as I am here I will continue subscribing to Gulf News. I have been enjoying the Good Living vouchers a lot and use them mostly for home deliveries during the weekends."
Subscription
Readers can subscribe to Gulf News by sending an e-mail to circ@gulfnews.com, calling the call centre at 800 4585, sending a fax to 800 4645 or sending an SMS to ‘Gulf News' at 6367.
