Four Keralites win Dh25,000(₹6.5 lakh) each in Abu Dhabi’s weekly big ticket raffle draw

Four Indians from Kerala have each bagged Dh25,000 in Big Ticket’s first weekly e-draw for June, with the winners currently residing in the UAE, Qatar and the United Kingdom, Khaleej Times reported.The latest round of winners includes two UAE residents, one resident of Qatar and one based in the UK, all of whom secured cash prizes through the Abu Dhabi-based lottery.One of the winners, Afthab Kodakkdan, a 51-year-old businessman living in Doha with his family since 2006, said he first came across Big Ticket while travelling through the airport. He later continued buying tickets after hearing about it from friends and seeing it on social media.Afthab has been purchasing tickets intermittently for the past three years and said his children are usually responsible for selecting the ticket numbers.“When I received the call, I initially thought it was a prank. Once I realised it was real, the excitement and happiness slowly started to sink in,” he said.Another winner, Subairabdu Subair, 44, works at a supermarket and has been living in Ras Al Khaimah with his family for 13 years. Although he regularly participates both individually and in group purchases, this winning ticket was bought on his own.“I truly did not see this coming,” he said after being informed of his win.The third winner, Safna Pothengal Kader, 26, lives in Al Ain and has been participating in Big Ticket for several years as part of a 21-member group. This is the group’s first win.“I am very happy, it is such a good feeling to win,” she said.The fourth winner, Aneesh Abraham, a 30-year-old hospitality professional from Kerala, has been living in the UK for the past year while his family remains in India.He said he usually buys tickets during stopovers in Abu Dhabi or online when he visits India.“When I received the call, I was actually asleep because of the time difference. Once the news sank in, I was incredibly excited,” he said, noting that the winning ticket number had been randomly selected.Organisers also confirmed that three more weekly e-draws will take place this month, with four winners receiving Dh25,000 in each draw.