Indian man's luck shines in UAE lottery draw, wins 200-gm gold bar worth Rs 25 lakh

Four Indian expatriates won 200-gram, 24-carat gold bars in Big Ticket Abu Dhabi's October e-draw. The Dh96,500 prizes brought surprise and delight after years of participation.

In Short

• Each winner received a gold bar valued at approximately Dh96,500
• Aruna began participating regularly with friends around four months ago
• Jijoy plans to share winnings and support his family back home

A man from India, who has spent 23 years living and working in Bahrain, has won a 200-gram, 24-carat gold bar in the latest Big Ticket Abu Dhabi draw.

Aruna Krishnappa Kidiyoor was among four Indian expatriates who struck gold in the third weekly e-draw of October. According to Gulf News, each winner received a gold bar worth approximately Dh96,500 (Rs 25,02,824) at current market rates.

The 45-year-old has been buying Big Ticket entries for some time, but only started participating regularly with a group of friends around four months ago. The win came as a complete surprise, and he said he was delighted when the organisers informed him of the news.

Aruna has not yet decided what he plans to do with the gold bar. For now, he is still taking in the unexpected windfall. His advice to others hoping to win was to remain patient, keep trying and not lose hope, Gulf News reported.

Three other Indians also win gold

Aruna was joined by three other Indian expatriates in the draw: Jijoy Viswan, Sadathulla Sharief and Manisha Harshal Kasat.

Jijoy, a 51-year-old from Kerala who has lived in Sharjah since 2007, works in the contracting industry. He had been purchasing tickets every month with a group of five to 10 people. He plans to divide the winnings with his group, save some of the money and support his wife and children back home.

Sadathulla, a 51-year-old civil engineer from Bengaluru, moved to Dubai a year ago. Having first discovered Big Ticket at an airport, he has since participated through both online and in-store purchases. He said he was initially unable to believe the news when he received the winning call.

The fourth winner, Manisha Harshal Kasat, is a 30-year-old freelancer originally from Mumbai who has lived in Sharjah for over a decade. After participating in the draw for three years, she decided to purchase a ticket on her own this time. The unexpected win left her delighted, although she is yet to decide how she will use the prize.

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