Dubai: An Indian expat in Abu Dhabi won $1 million in the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire draw held on Wednesday at Concourse C of Dubai International Airport.
Riyas Kamaluddin, 50, became the latest $1 million winner in Millennium Millionaire Series 391 with ticket number 4330, which he purchased online on May 27.
A regular participant in Dubai Duty Free’s promotion for 15 years now, Kamaluddin shared the ticket cost with six of his colleagues and friends.
An Abu Dhabi resident for 25 years, Kamaluddin is a father of two and works for an aviation company.
“We’ve been trying our luck for the last 15 years; finally we’ve won. Thank you, God, and thank you Dubai Duty Free.”
Kamaluddin is the 191st Indian to have won $1 million since the start of the Millennium Millionaire promotion in 1999. Indian nationals make up the highest number of Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire ticket buyers.
Wednesday’s Millennium Millionaire draw was conducted by Dubai Duty Free’s Executive Vice Chairman & CEO, Colm McLoughlin; Salah Tahlak, Executive Vice President – Corporate Service; Sinead El Sibai, SVP – Marketing; and Michael Schmidt, SVP – Retail.
Other winners
Following the Millennium Millionaire draw, the Finest Surprise draw was conducted for three luxury vehicles.
Mohamed Askouri, a 36-year-old Algerian national based in Dubai, won a Bentley Flying Spur V8 car, with ticket number 0887 in Finest Surprise Series 1806, which he purchased online on May 18. A regular participant in the Dubai Duty Free promotion since 2020, Askouri had bought three tickets for Series 1806. He works as a senior sales manager for a private company in Dubai Airport Free Zone.
“Thank you Dubai Duty Free for this amazing win. I can’t believe that I won my dream car,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ehsan Nazeer, a Pakistani national in the UAE, won a BMW F 900 XR motorbike, with ticket number 0133 in Finest Surprise Series 499, which he purchased online on May 11. He was not immediately reachable after the draw.
Lastly, Mahmoud Al Qedra, a Palestinian national based in Dubai, won a BMW F 850 GS motorbike, with ticket number 0066 in Finest Surprise Series 500, which he purchased on May 23. Al Qedra was also not available for immediate comment.
