Indian driver in UAE wins ₹10 crore jackpot after 15 years of buying tickets: 'Now I want to go back to India'

After spending nearly 20 years driving across the UAE, the Big Ticket winner said that he now plans to return to India and settle down.

An Indian driver in the UAE has won the Dh15 million (approximately ₹37 crore) jackpot in the Big Ticket after consistently buying tickets for 15 years.

Vibeesh Palliyali works as a pickup driver for a transport company, (Unsplash/Representational image)

According to a report by Khaleej Times, Vibeesh Palliyali, who works as a pickup driver for a transport company, said luck came through a ticket he bought on February 28 after his cousin and two friends urged him to join them.

“I had already bought one set of tickets for Dh1,000 on February 7 when I was travelling to India,” he told Khaleej Times. “On February 28, my cousin and two of his friends called me asking to take a ticket with them. I tried telling them that I had already spent my budget this month, but they kept begging me. I took the ticket so as not to let them down,” he added.

Palliyali has been working as a driver in the UAE for nearly two decades. He said that he purchased the ticket online at around 8pm, and that turned out to be the winning entry. He received the life-changing news while driving back home to Sharjah from Abu Dhabi after completing a delivery.

“Since I am a regular customer, I usually get calls from the company,” he said. “But they usually call in the middle or the end of the month saying that there are offers on tickets. I wondered why they would call me in the beginning of the month in the evening,” he continued.

When he was informed that he had won the jackpot, Palliyali said he was stunned. “I asked them if it was a prank call even though I knew it wasn’t,” he said, adding, “Afterwards, I called my wife and told her I got a call. She checked online immediately and then told me that my name was on the website as the winner.”

Bought tickets for 15 years

The driver said that the win came after years of persistence. “I have been buying this ticket every month religiously for the last 15 years. As you can imagine, as a driver, setting aside Dh1,000 per month was a task. Many times, my wife would complain that the money could be used for other things. Some months, I wouldn’t even tell her that I had bought the ticket,” he told the outlet.

Despite his long streak of purchases, he said he never watched the draw live or checked the results immediately. “Buying a ticket was just a way of life for me. I never really imagined winning it or doing something with the money. The only wish I had was that one day I would win something - even if it was the prize of Dh100,000,” he said.

Plans after the win

The Dh15 million prize will be shared among 4 people, leaving Palliyali with slightly under Dh4 million. After spending nearly 20 years driving across the UAE, he now plans to return to India and settle down.

“I have been driving all over the UAE for 20 years. Now, I want to go back to India and settle down. This money will definitely help with that,” he said.

He also plans to secure the future of his daughter, who is currently studying BBA in Bengaluru after completing her schooling at Sharjah Indian School.

Palliyali said the reality of the win is still sinking in. “It is still only beginning to sink in. Maybe after a few days I will have a better idea of what to do,” he said.