Indian driver in Qatar wins Dh15 million Big Ticket draw
He had been buying tickets with group of 12 friends every month for two years
Abu Dhabi: A driver based in Qatar won Dh15 million last night in the Big Ticket draw, which has been held in Abu Dhabi since 1992.
At Series 256 of the draw on Tuesday, Mujeeb Thekke Mattieri was named the winner who took home the Dh15 million grand prize.
Mujeeb has been based in Qatar for the past eight years and currently works as a driver at Bank Audi. He has been purchasing up to three Big Tickets every month with a group of 12 friends for over two years, and says he plans to continue to do so.
When Big Ticket representatives called Mujeeb, he was “overjoyed and could be heard screaming from excitement along with his friends”, Big Ticket stated.
During the live draw, nine winners of British, Indian and Sri Lankan nationalities were also announced, each of them taking home different cash prizes amounting to a total of Dh500,000.
Winning a car - again
Sharon Francisco Cabello took home a brand-new Jeep Rubicon. She is now a second-time winner with Big Ticket, having walked away with a brand-new BMW last August. The Filipino national has been a resident of the UAE since 2014 and now lives in Abu Dhabi, where she currently works as a procurement assistant at a hedge company.
Cabello has been purchasing Dream Car tickets and Big Ticket raffle tickets for the past six years with a group of five family members.
“The first time I won, we sold the car for over Dh300,000 and I used my portion of the winnings to build my home in the Philippines. The rest of the cash earnings were distributed among my family members,” she said.
“This time I will be using the cash I make from selling the car for my son’s education and to invest in a new business opportunity.”
One individual will be named the grand prize winner and walk away with Dh20 million during the live draw on November 3.