Abu Dhabi: The life of a 24-year-old man from a village in the Dakshina Kannada district changed forever after he was declared the winner of UAE’s 12 million AED (INR 23.16 crores) raffle draw on Friday, October 4.
The winner of the jackpot is Mohammed Fayaz J A, a native of Sullia in the Dakshina Kannada district. Fayaz, who has never visited the UAE, currently works as an accountant in a private firm in Mumbai.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Fayaz said that he bought the raffle ticket online after his roommate suggested it to him. He said, “I couldn’t buy it for two months as the deadline was over. But this time, I bought it just in time on the last day of September. I am really a lucky winner. I had to check online in order to verify it.”
“Last night, I had a dream that I would win this. I told my friend that something great is happening soon,” he added.
Fayaz further said, “Both my parents passed away from kidney-related diseases. My father had worked for a long time in Saudi Arabia. He fought kidney failure for more than 12 years. We had seen both my parents in pain for long. We children are still recovering from the shock of our parents no longer being with us. I have a younger sister. My elder sister is married. Also, we sold a part of our land to build a house. But, that is pending now. I want to reclaim the land we had to sell. I will look to finish the construction work of our home soon. I will also do some charity work. I have never been to the UAE. Now, I will be there next month to receive the cheque.”
