Dubai: 25 workers who won $1 million hit another jackpot

Dubai - Palakkal belongs to the same group of 25 employees of the school transport company who won $1 million under his colleague’s name.

Just a little over a month ago, Jayan Palakkal and his colleagues were jumping for joy as they hit the million-dollar jackpot in the Dubai Duty Free (DDF) Millennium Millionaire draw. On Wednesday, the unbelievable happened: The same group won again.

Even after their big win on March 21, Palakkal and his colleagues at a school transport company continued buying DDF tickets. As luck would have it, the latest Finest Surprise draw saw the same group win a BMW 760Li xDrive.

Also read: Dubai Duty Free raffle: 2 new millionaires announced

“I was busy at work. I have many responsibilities as I work as a Senior Transport Officer. I disconnected the first call and then when my colleague kept calling me incessantly, I picked it up. He informed me about this win. This is the second big win in a month’s time!” Palakkal exclaimed.

While their first lucky ticket was under his colleague’s name, the second one was under his. “So, it felt really special. It’s my first win under my name,” said the 51-year-old Sharjah resident.

The first thing he did was call up his 87-year-old mother. “It’s said that a mother’s blessing is invaluable. I was extremely excited. Then, I called up my wife and daughter. They were also very happy,” he said.

A UAE resident for 26 years now, Palakkal and his colleagues have been buying DDF tickets for almost a decade now. They never thought they would win twice.

Splitting the first $1-million prize was easy, as they just had to divide the amount among themselves. But this time, with the BMW prize, a longer discussion is needed, he said.

“It will also be divided equally. But we need to sit together and discuss what needs to be done exactly.”

Asked what he would do with the money, Palakkal said: “The Covid-19 situation has impacted jobs and lives adversely, so I want to spend the money judiciously. I’d like to utilise my share of money for my daughter’s university education and keep some funds for our future.”