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Indian expat wins ₹8 crore Dubai Duty Free jackpot after 25-year wait
Dubai-based Indian businessman and film producer Rajan Lall won $1 million ( ₹8-9 crore) in the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire raffle.
Indian expat and Bollywood producer Rajan Lall wins ₹8 crore Dubai Duty Free jackpot days after 79th birthday
Dubai-based Indian businessman and film producer Rajan Lall won $1 million ( ₹8-9 crore) in the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire raffle, just days after turning 79.
Lall, who has survived cancer, three heart attacks and heart failure, described the win as the ''finest birthday'' present he could have imagined. The long-time Dubai resident secured the prize in Millennium Millionaire Series 535 with ticket number 3099, which he bought at Concourse D on January 30, Gulf News reported.
Another winner in Series 534, Austrian national Oliver, who is based in Portugal, also received $1 million after purchasing his ticket online on January 27.
The draw was held as part of celebrations marking the “Year of the Fire Horse” during Chinese New Year festivities at Dubai International Airport
Lall, who lives in a sea-facing villa on Palm Jumeirah, responded candidly when asked whether the wealthy should continue to benefit from such windfalls. He pointed out that life has never been fair and added that people should not assume he has no need for the money, a report by Gulf News further mentioned.
For now, he has not decided how he will use the prize amount. Instead, he is looking forward to watching the upcoming India vs Pakistan cricket match.
A 25-year wait
The win came after years of persistence. Lall revealed that he has been purchasing one ticket every year for the past 25 years without any success. He had recently joked to a friend about never having won.
He bought the winning ticket during a trip to Mumbai, where he had gone to meet friends from the film industry.
He received the call informing him of the win while he was in Saudi Arabia and admitted the moment felt unreal.
Lall’s journey has been far from smooth. In the past, he has spoken about facing life-threatening health conditions and spending time in intensive care. Those experiences, he said, changed his outlook on stress and material wealth.
He moved to Dubai in his fifties after facing income tax raids and alleged threats in Mumbai during the 1990s.
Starting afresh, he worked in garment trading and rebuilt his career from the ground up. He has previously recalled earning modest wages, living frugally and depending on friends during his early days in the city.
