An Indian man living in Sharjah has changed his plans to return home permanently after more than 30 years in the UAE after winning Dh5 million in The UAE Lottery. The win came just five days before his 60th birthday, and he now plans to remain in the UAE and bring his family to the country.

Kishore Pandurang Rao, an Indian citizen from Mumbai who has lived in the UAE since 1993, won the Dh5 million prize in the October 3 draw. The win came five days before his 60th birthday on October 8.

Speaking to former Australian cricket star Brett Lee, the UAE Lottery’s chief celebration officer, Rao explained how he discovered he had won and why the prize had changed his plans for the future.

He told his wife about the win three days later

Rao said he initially ignored the notification email from The UAE Lottery but later decided to log in to his account and check the result.

Describing the moment he discovered the win, he said: “Suddenly, I realised. I opened my account and saw that I had won. I was amazed and shocked.”

The news was so unexpected that he kept it to himself for three days before telling his wife. She was delighted, but they initially decided to share the news with only a small number of close relatives and friends.

Rao told Lee that after three decades of working and living in the UAE, he found it difficult to believe that such a life-changing event had happened to him.

He said: “It took me a long time to believe that I had really won. I have worked for 30 years, and I still cannot believe my good fortune.”

From returning to India to staying in the UAE

Rao said that before winning, he had decided to return to India permanently after years of living in the UAE and had already discussed the move with his wife.

He explained: “I had told my wife that I wanted to return and that October would be my final month in the UAE. But October had only just begun when I received this good news.”

He added that October had always marked the beginning of a new chapter in his life, and that winning Dh5 million had now opened up new opportunities for his future.

Confirming his change of plans, Rao said: “I am staying here. I had planned to leave, but now I have changed my mind. I will bring my family here as well.”

Dh50 ticket win and plans to apply for a Golden Visa

Rao bought his winning ticket for Dh50 using the Easy Pick random number selection option.

In the Lucky Day draw on October 3, he matched all six numbers in the “Days” section to win the second prize of Dh5 million.

Rao previously said that obtaining a UAE Golden Visa had been one of his long-held ambitions, and he now plans to explore whether he is eligible to apply for one.

He also intends to use part of the prize to support his elder son’s business plans and fund his younger son’s further education.

Rao and his wife are also considering travelling to several countries and buying homes and cars in both the UAE and India. However, he said they had not yet made any final decisions and would prefer to plan gradually for their family’s future.

🌐 The UAE Lottery website