E-Paper
Malayalee expat in Dubai wins $ 1 million in duty-free raffle
Anub Pillai, a manager with a construction firm in the UAE, is yet to decide on how to invest the prize money.
A 46-year-old Keralite living in Dubai won the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire draw pocketing $ one million on Wednesday. The Dubai International Airport said Anub Pillai, a resident of Dubai for 21 years, won the draw which he bought online (ticket no 4512) on Oct 4.
A father of two, Pillai works as a manager with a construction firm in the United Arab Emirates. “Initially I couldn’t believe it. I used to participate in big ticket raffles for more than a decade. A dream has come true for me. I am really thankful to Dubai Duty Free for running such amazing promotions,” he said adding he is yet to decide on how to invest the prize money.
Indian nationals buy the maximum number of tickets and many of them have hit the jackpot. According to Dubai International Airport, Pillai is the 169th Indian to win US $ one million since the start of the Millennium Millionaire promotion in 1999.
After the main draw, surprise draws for a luxury car and two motorbikes were also held. Another Indian, Vishal Raveendran, won one of the super bikes, Dubai Airport said.
In August, Dipankar Dey, an optician hailing from West Bengal had won the big ticket raffle.
