Indian man who quit job wins Rs 13 crore in raffle draw in UAE

"I bought the ticket at the Abu Dhabi airport just before boarding the flight for India. I was leaving the UAE for good to join my wife, who got a job in New Delhi. I still cannot believe I won," Mathew was reportedly quoted as saying by the local media.

Representational Picture. PIC/AFP.

New Delhi: An Indian national is still unable to believe that his fortunes have changed in a jiffy. He became a crorepati by buying a lottery ticket. The jackpot is worth a whopping USD 1.9 million that translates into Rs 13 crore in Indian currency, Tojo Mathew, a civil supervisor, had said goodbye to UAE and while exiting the country he thought of buying a jackpot ticket at the Abu Dhabi airport before stepping on to the New Delhi flight.  Mathew, originally from Kerala, was going to the Indian capital to join his wife who had recently obtained a new job. "I bought the ticket at the Abu Dhabi airport just before boarding the flight for India. I was leaving the UAE for good to join my wife, who got a job in New Delhi. I still cannot believe I won," Mathew was reportedly quoted as saying by the local media. Mathew won dirham 7 million (USD 1.9 million) and always wanted to an own a home in his native place Kerala."That has been my long pending dream. Now it can become a reality with the raffle money," he said. Mathew got to know about the cash prize when he checked the Big Ticket website. Reports say nine others won 100,000 dirhams (USD 27,000) at the draw. The winners included five Indians, one Pakistani and a Kuwaiti. Earlier, an Indian driver in Dubai had won dirham 12 million in a raffle draw in Abu Dhabi in April, reported news agency PTI. In January, another Keralite in the UAE had won a dirham 12 million in the biggest-ever raffle prize money in Abu Dhabi.