An Indian expatriate, Prasad Sivadasan, along with nine colleagues, won $1 million (₹8.7 crore) in the latest Dubai Duty Free (DDF) Millennium Millionaire draw held on March 5 at Dubai International Airport.
Team Effort Pays Off
Sivadasan, originally from Kerala, secured the jackpot in Millennium Millionaire Series 492 with ticket number 3793, purchased on February 19. A system engineer at Seven Seas Technologies in Bur Dubai, he has lived in Dubai for 20 years. He and his colleagues have been pooling money to buy tickets for the past 7–8 years, taking turns putting their names on the ticket.
Expressing his gratitude, Sivadasan said, “I’m very thankful to Dubai Duty Free. We are so happy with this news.”
Since the promotion’s launch in 1999, he is the 246th Indian national to win $1 million.
Luxury Car Winner
In the Finest Surprise draw, Shahul Hameed, a 38-year-old Indian expat in Abu Dhabi, won a BMW M850i Gran Coupe (Tanzanite Blue Metallic) with ticket number 985 in Series 1911. He had purchased the ticket online on February 3.
Hameed, an IT manager at a semi-government firm, has been participating in the draw for over a decade. “Indeed, dreams do come true! I’ve been trying my luck for 10 years, and now I finally won the car!” he said.
Motorbike Winner
Kamal Thahaseel Shakur, a 48-year-old Indian resident of Dubai, won an Indian Scout Bobber Limited Plus Tech (Black Smoke) motorbike with ticket number 175 in Series 615. He bought the ticket in Concourse B on February 9.
Shakur, a regional manager at FedEx and a long-time participant in the draw, was thrilled with his win. “Amazing! I’m very happy, though I hope this is a sign that I’ll win the Millennium Millionaire next. Thank you, Dubai Duty Free,” he said.
