Dubai: An Indian driver in the UAE has won Dh15 million as the EASY6 Grand Prize of Emirates Draw.
Ajay Ogula, 31, has been working for a jewellery establishment since his arrival to the UAE from his village in southern India. As the eldest child, he felt obligated to support his family, including an ageing mother and two younger siblings who reside in an old, rented house.
Ogula said: “During a random conversation with my boss, I mentioned reading about someone winning a handsome amount with Emirates Draw, to which my boss advised that ‘you keep wasting money here and there, so why not use it instead on an opportunity like this’.”
Following his employer’s advice, Ogula installed the Emirates Draw mobile app and purchased two tickets for his first-ever participation with Emirates Draw EASY6.
Plans for family
“I was out with my friend when I received the congratulatory email. I thought, perhaps it’s a smaller winning amount, but when I started reading, the zeroes kept adding up, and I practically lost my mind when I learned the final figure.”
Ogula plans first to invite his family to Dubai and after that he plans to build a house for his family in their village and start a construction company to become self-sufficient.
Mohammad Behroozian Alawadhi, Managing Partner, Emirates Draw, said: “Congratulations to our Grand Prize winner, Ajay Ogula, on his epic win. Emirates Draw is not just about numbers and winners; it is about making a difference in people’s lives and has been the goal from day one and will remain at the heart of all we do.”
He added: “Our entire team is ecstatic for Ajay Ogula, and we are confident that this win will positively change his life and all the people around him. We will continue our mission of giving back to the community through our Coral Reef Restoration Programme, designed in line with the UAE’s government vision of sustainability; as well as support in transforming lives with our weekly prizes.”
Dh77,777 winner
Meanwhile, Paula Leech, a 50-year-old British national, won Dh77,777 in the latest edition raffle draw of Emirates Draw MEGA7. The mother-of-three has been a Human Resources professional based in the UAE for about 14 years. “This win will be my savings for retirement,” she said.
The Dh160 million Grand Prize of Emirates Draw MEGA7 remains up for grabs, to be claimed by a single person or group of people who match all seven numbers from the right. P
