A 49-year-old expat in Dubai has finally hit the jackpot after 27 years of buying Dubai Duty Free raffle tickets. For nearly three decades, he kept on buying tickets and finally he achieved his dream this time.
Mohame Mohamedbatcha is one of two lucky winners who won $1 million in the latest Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire draw held on Wednesday.
A father of two, Mohamedbatcha, an Indian citizen, works as a senior officer for a bank and has been living in Dubai for 20 years.
“Thank you Dubai Duty Free for this very timely win,” said Mohamedbatcha, who bought his winning ticket online on June 5.
He is the 231st Indian national to win the Millennium Millionaire promotion since its inception in 1999.
Another Dollar Millionaire
The other $1 million winner was Ye Shin-kyu, a 46-year-old South Korean national based in Seoul. Ye, the first South Korean to win the jackpot, has been participating in the promotion for more than five years. He bought his lucky ticket on May 21 on his way back to South Korea.
“I’m very surprised! Thank you so much, Dubai Duty Free,” he said.
1 Luxury Car, 2 Motorbikes
Following the Millennium Millionaire draw, the Finest Surprise draw was conducted for one luxury car and two motorbikes.
Mathias Fernandes, a 44-year-old Indian expat in Dubai, won a BMW 740i M Sport (Tanzanite Blue Metallic) car. A regular participant in Dubai Duty Free’s promotions for 24 years, Fernandes had previously won a Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe in July 2009.
“I’m always grateful to Dubai Duty Free, as they have the best products and promotions,” said Fernandes, who works in an architectural firm and is a father of two.
Naveed Akhtar, a Pakistani national based in the UAE, won a BMW F 900 XR (Black Storm Metallic) motorbike, while Dubai-based Indian expat Devesh Mukesh Dave won an Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1100 (Time Attack) motorbike.
