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Sunday, May 3, saw a lucky winner win a whopping Dh25 million — the grand prize during the Big Ticket Abu Dhabi draw this month.

The prize belongs to Dubai resident Abdul Rasheed Allipra Valappil Abdu from India, with ticket number 012318 bought on April 19.

The hosts Richard and Bouchra called and shared the great news with the winner. He has been buying Big Ticket entries for the last six years.

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When told he won Dh25 million he said, "You are not joking? How many million?" in disbelief, before thanking the hosts.

Abdu is 48-year-old driver from Kerala who has been living in Dubai for the past 17 years. Living in the UAE while his family remains in India, he has been purchasing tickets every month since first hearing about Big Ticket through friends and social media. He now plans to take some time to speak with his family and friends before deciding on the next steps for his prize.

Abdul Rasheed Allipra Valappil Abdu

Other prizes

Five consolation prizes of Dh1 million were awarded to the following winners:

• Ticket number 121930, belonging to Indian expat Leo Lorenz from Ajman.

• Ticket number 378830, belonging to Indian expat Ritesh Lobo from Dubai.

• Ticket number 321146, belonging to Indian expat Rajat Satish from Dubai.

• Ticket number 245762, belonging to Indian expat Chaitanya Ramachandran from Dubai.

• Ticket number 120705, belonging to Indian expat Murali Vazhayil from Oman.

Dream car winner

Asharaf Abdulla, an Indian expat from Abu Dhabi, with ticket number 022963, has won a Land Rover Defender in the Dream Car draw.

A 41-year-old driver from Kerala, has celebrated his first Big Ticket win after nine years of consistent participation. He has been purchasing tickets every month, often as part of a group, staying committed to the hope of one day winning.

“I’m very happy, it was completely unexpected,” he shared. “My friend encouraged me to buy the Dream Car ticket, and I thought, why not? I never imagined it would turn into a winning moment.”

For the past three years, he has been part of a group of 40 participants, also contributing through two other groups, making this win a shared moment of joy. He plans to divide the prize among his group, reflecting the collective effort behind the ticket.

Big Ticket Abu Dhabi: 4 Indian expats win Dh25,000 each in latest e-draw 4 Indian expats win Dh25,000 each in Big Ticket’s first weekly e-draw this month 'Sudden shock': 4 Indians win Dh25,000 each in April's Big Ticket e-draw