Security guard to use Dh40,000 Dubai raffle prize to fund mum’s stroke treatment

Dubai - The 40-year-old security guard only earns Dh1,200.

Mohammed Hossain, a 40-year-old Bangladeshi security guard, had been getting sleepless nights as his mother suffered a brain stroke and was hospitalised since mid-December. With his meagre salary of Dh1,200, Hossain was unable to arrange money for his mother's treatment. However, on one of the rare occasions when Hossain ventured into a mall to get a jacket for himself, he won Dh40,000 in a raffle draw from the Dubai Shopping Malls Group.
"My mother has been in the ICU for a month. I did not have enough money to get her admitted to a private hospital, Miraculously, I won Dh40,000 from the Dubai Shopping Malls Group. I am really thankful to Allah. I have told my brother, who is in Chittagong, to seek the best medical services for my mother because nothing means more to me than her."
He struck gold as he bought wedding ring
Taxi driver Babur Hussain, 29, has no money to spare for shopping. But this Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), he decided to venture out to shop as he was going back to Pakistan to get married. His trip to a jewellery shop to buy a wedding ring for his bride-to-be proved lucky for him as Hussain won 250 grammes of gold worth over Dh30,000 in the Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group raffle draw.
Hussain, who has been in the UAE for over nine years, said: "I am really excited and can't explain how lucky I feel. I am going to use this entire gold bar to make jewellery for her. I made a purchase of Dh750 and won gold worth more than Dh35,000. I have not informed my family as I want to give them a surprise when I go to Pakistan later this month."
Expat to donate winnings to charity
Indian expat Noushad, 44, was another lucky winner of the Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group promotion. Noushad, who has been living in the UAE for 14 years, said he plans to use the money that he would get after selling the gold bar to finance the marriage of "four or five financially weak women" in his hometown of Thrissur, Kerala.
"I never participate in draws, but this time my friend said there was no harm in filling the coupon for the draw and I did ... We understand we can't arrange for a big wedding, but my family and I would like to contribute in whatever way we can."
Tawhid Abdullah, chairman, Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group, said the group has given away over 900kg of gold in mega jewellery campaigns for DSF. "The big winnings have changed many lives, helped many to have their dream come true and build the life they have been dreaming of. Jewellery lovers from all across the globe flock to Dubai during the DSF to buy their favorite piece while having a chance to win a fortune. It is truly a thrilling and rewarding experience for consumers."
saman@khaleejtimes.com

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