DUBAI: Shivamurthy Krishnappa,a mechanical engineer who hails from Shivamogga district, and living in the UAE for the past 15 years, won 12 million dirhams (Rs 24cr) in a raffle.
He said: “I want to build a big house for my family back in my home town. I have two children aged 10 and 4, so a large part of the money will be put into deposit for their future.”
Krishnappa watched the draw live from home
He bought the winning ticket number 202511 on February 17 this year, a local newspaper reported.
Krishnappa watched the draw live from home. When the host Richard called him on his mobile, Krishnappa said: “I am watching the live draw. Thank you so much. I cannot believe I have won,” the report quoted him as saying. Krishnappa has been buying the Big Ticket every month for the past three years.
“Earlier, I used to share the ticket with friends. For
the past year, I’ve been buying the ticket on my own. This time I bought two tickets as the organisers had a special offer for regular ticket buyers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Big Ticket organisers launched a new look to the live draw.
“We are constantly looking for ways to excite and engage with our customers, whether it be a new prize promotion, social media competitions or the live draw. With so many people currently watching us from the comfort of their homes, we want to make them feel part of our live draw and give more people even more chances to win,” said a spokesperson.
Several Indians in the past have won such prizes in the raffle.