Jobless man from Kerala wins Rs 13 crore in UAE jackpot

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Mathew was leaving for Delhi

"I bought the ticket at the Abu Dhabi airport just before boarding the flight for India on June 24. I was leaving the UAE for good to join my wife, who got a job in New Delhi. I still cannot believe I won," Mathew was quoted as saying by the 'Khaleej Times'. Mathew won the dirham 7 million (USD 1.9 million) as he was leaving for good, the report said.

From zero to hero

The fortunes of a Kerala youth changed overnight when he won Rs 13 crore in a raffle in Abu Dhabi. Tojo Mathew, 30, from Kuttanad won 7 million Dirham on a ticket (number 075171) he had purchased at the Big Ticket raffle with the help of his friends.

He was jobless

Tojo, who was working as a civil supervisor in Abu Dhabi for the past six years, had resigned from his job recently. He had bought the ticket at the Abu Dhabi airport just before he boarded a flight to India on June 24. The ticket was bought in his name and 18 of his friends pooled their money for the ticket. Big ticket Abu Dhabi announcing the winners.

Dream come true

Tojo said his big dream was to own a house in Kerala. "That has been my long pending dream. Now it can become a reality with the raffle money," he said. Tojo's mother Kunjamma Mathew said, "I have three sons Tijo (an auto driver), Tojo and Titto (civil supervisor in Abu Dhabi). All of them are married. Tojo always wanted to construct a new home here, but he did not have money. It is god's grace and I don't have words to thank him."

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Other winners

Mathew and his friends received the news yesterday when they checked the Big Ticket website.Nine others won 100,000 dirhams (USD 27,000) at the draw. The winners included five Indians, one Pakistani and a Kuwaiti.

This article was previously published on UAE Moments.To see the original article, click here