Dubai: Two expatriates, one from Pakistan and another from India, have struck gold after hitting the jackpot in one of the longest-running millionaire draws in UAE.
Dubai Duty Free held two draws in one occasion for the Millennium Millionaire on Tuesday to give away $1 million each to two winning players.
Tickets for the millionaire raffle had sold out fast, hence two draws were held at the same time.
Imran Ishaq, 48, from Lahore, Pakistan, scored the first $1 million (Dh3.6 million) in the "Series 282" draw with his lucky ticket number 2021.
When reached for comment after the draw, the real estate broker said he was thrilled by the news that he has just become a dollar millionaire. After all, he had long waited for this time to come, after having been a raffle ticket buyer for the past one year.
“I will buy more properties and probably invest in a car business in Muscat,” said the expatriate who is based in Oman.
The second latest dollar millionaire is Ramesh Krishnankutty. The 48-year-old Indian expatriate in Dubai won in the "Series 283" draw with ticket number 3295.
Krishnankutty works as a technician. However, the father of two will be splitting the prize money with his 39 other colleagues, not nine as earlier reported. He clarified that the winning ticket was purchased using the funds pooled from a total of 40 people.
Krishnankutty is the breadwinner in his family. He has two children who are still at school, and to celebrate his winning, he will be treating everyone to a family vacation in Dubai next year.
