UAE: Indian expat wins 2 cash prizes worth Dh40,000 in one day, just a month after winning gold

He has been watching the Big Ticket draw right at the Abu Dhabi airport for the past three months

Ashwani Kumar

Published: Fri 7 Jul 2023, 5:08 PM

Last updated: Fri 7 Jul 2023, 11:39 PM

Lady luck was clearly smiling brightly on Ajimon Kochuman, an Indian expat from Dubai — who pocketed two cash prizes in one day during Big Ticket’s raffle draw held in Abu Dhabi this week. That wasn't all — this happened exactly a month after he won a gold voucher at the same show on June 3.

Ajimon, who has been purchasing tickets for the past nine years of his stay in the country, bagged the sixth prize amount of Dh30,000 and picked up Dh10,000 which was given to one lucky person from the live audience at the Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Before entering the show, each participating audience member is handed a wristband with a number. After the show, a number is picked randomly by the hosts and a person from the audience gets Dh10,000.

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“I am thrilled. I am lost for words. My name was announced before so many people present there, and thousands who followed it through social media platforms. It was exciting,” said the 39-year-old Malayali from Kollam district of Kerala.

However, he missed the moment when his name was announced as the sixth-place winner.

“I and my friends, with whom I attended the show, were away at that time. I rejoined only when they started announcing the fourth-place winneru until the grand prize. After the show, I was hoping to be named the live audience winner. And when my name was announced, I rushed to the stage. Meanwhile, I was getting numerous calls from my friend. So, I switched my phone into silent mode. Later when I called them back, I came to know that I had won Dh30,000 as the sixth-place winner. Even the hosts Richard and Bouchra, and organisers were surprised,” the expat said.

Ajimon has been attending the show in person at the airport for the past three months.

Last month, he got a Dh500 gold voucher after winning a competition. Besides the draw, Big Ticket hosts an array of competitions and games, giving away hundreds of prizes, including phones, gadgets, and gift vouchers.

Ajimon, who wishes to revive his catering business that went down during Covid-19, is hoping to win bigger cash prizes.

“Usually, 3 to 5 of my friends would contribute to buying tickets. However, this time, none of them paid. So, I bought the ticket alone. And I won. Now, all my friends are after me to pool money for next month’s draw. I will continue to try my luck. If I win big, I can start my life afresh. I wish to be an achiever in life,” said the father of three children.

“I won a gold voucher, two cash prizes, and now it may be time for something big.”

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