Indian Man Wins $1 Million in Dubai Duty Free Draw After 11 Years of Trying
An Indian engineer living in Al Ain, UAE, has won $1 million after regularly entering Dubai Duty Free draws for 11 years.
Shahin Mohammed, who has been buying tickets for the Millennium Millionaire draw since 2015, was named one of the $1 million winners on Wednesday, just days before his 39th birthday on October 16.
The Indian engineer, who has lived in Al Ain for six years, purchased the winning ticket, number 3097, on September 11.
Mohammed, a father of one, works as a senior cost estimation engineer at a construction company in Musaffah, Abu Dhabi.
After the result was announced, he said: “This draw gives people a genuine opportunity to fulfil their dreams and achieve their goals. The prize is also an early birthday gift for me.”
Mohammed plans to use part of the prize money to buy a house in his home state of Kerala, India, and save the remainder to fund his daughter’s education.
He is the 285th Indian national to win the draw’s $1 million prize since the Millennium Millionaire promotion was launched in 1999.
How Dubai Duty Free Draws Work
Dubai Duty Free draws are generally held every other Wednesday, with two draws typically taking place each month.
The number of $1 million winners in each draw depends on ticket sales and may include one, two or more people.
Luxury Car and Motorcycle Winners
In another Dubai Duty Free draw, Iraq resident Aria Mustafa won a BMW with ticket number 1762.
He purchased the ticket online on August 20 for series 1963 of the Finest Surprise draw.
Meanwhile, Siali Shamsuddin, a 65-year-old Indian resident of Dubai, won an Aprilia Tuono motorcycle with ticket number 0270 in series 680 of the same draw.
Shamsuddin, a father of three, works at a mobile phone accessories shop in Dubai’s Karama district.