Big Ticket Abu Dhabi: 20 Indian expats from Qatar to share Dh15m raffle win

Abu Dhabi - This was the first time ever Sunil, one of the winners, had participated in the raffle.

A beginner's luck and a wife's lucky phone number are two of the reasons behind a group of 20 Indian expats winning Dh15 million in the Big Ticket Abu Dhabi raffle draw.

The winner, Sanoop Sunil, works at retail chain Lulu in Qatar along with the other 19 individuals, who all hail from the Indian state of Kerala.

This was the first time ever Sunil had participated in the raffle. He held the ticket number 183947, which he bought on July 13.

The 32-year-old was keenly watching the draw live on Facebook but wasn't aware that there were two millionaire lucky draws on the day -- for Dh15 million and Dh1 million. So, when host Richard announced the second prize of Dh1 million, a disappointed Sunil stopped watching further. Also, he had given an Indian contact number of his wife with lucky number '8', but the organisers were unable to get in touch because of continuous disconnections.

However, soon his mobile phone started buzzing with calls from his friends and colleagues, informing him about the jackpot in what was an unforgettable night for Sunil and 19 others in the group.

"I have been working with the LuLu Group for the past seven years. I am taking this ticket for the first time in my life. It was at the behest of friends Haris and Mikesh that we formed a group to purchase tickets. We thought that by pooling in money for tickets, we will not lose much even if we don't win," he said over the phone from Qatar.

Soon, a group of 20 Keralites, all in their 30s, was formed.

"All are from the middle class. Many have been purchasing tickets for a while. Since I was trying for the first time, I gave the contact number of my wife, who is the daughter of Malayalam actor Harisree Ashokan. The phone number with the majority of number 8 in it is also our lucky number. So, I gave that phone number and got rewarded," he said.

Sunil plans to continue working at the group. Though he had earlier submitted his resignation once, it was turned down.

"We won because I am still working with the group. This luck is also because of the blessings of our boss Yusuffali M.A. If I had left the group, then this win wouldn't have been possible."

Other winners are Sunil Dath, Vijin, Mukthar, Arun, Muhsin, Vishnu, Jobin, Velu, Favas, Ajmal, Akshay, Santhosh, Sainudheen, Ranjith, Sailesh, Sanoof and Melvin.

• Abu Dhabi