Arun Kumar Vatakke Koroth, a resident of Bengaluru, has recently become a millionaire after winning the grand prize of Dh20 million (Rs 44,75,67,571) in the Big Ticket draw series number 250 held in Abu Dhabi. He purchased his winning ticket, number 261031, on March 22 through the Big Ticket website. This was his second attempt at the raffle. Koroth learned about the Big Ticket live draws from his friends and started buying tickets online.
After getting a call from the host of the show about his win, Mr. Koroth, a resident of Bengaluru, initially thought it was a prank call and disconnected the call while blocking the phone number. Later, he received a call from a different number which made him realize that he had actually won the grand prize. In an interview with Khaleej Times, he said, “I could not believe that I had won the first prize. I am still in disbelief. I bought this ticket through the ‘buy two get one free’ option. The ticket I won was the third one.”
Mr. Koroth, who is presently undergoing knee surgery in a hospital, intends to utilize the money to achieve his dream of starting a business. “I have a dream. I will strive to accomplish it,” he stated.
Muhammed Shefeek, an Indian national based in Oman, won the third prize of Dh90,000, while Suresh Mathan, an Indian national residing in Bahrain, won the second prize of Dh100,000.
The Big Ticket raffle is a well-known lottery draw in the UAE, which offers substantial cash prizes to the winners. The raffle is held every month, and the grand prize usually ranges from Dh15 million to Dh20 million. The winners are selected randomly, and the draws are conducted live in Abu Dhabi.