Abu Dhabi: A 64-year-old Pakistani citizen, Shaukat Aftab, has won the grand prize of Dh15 million in the latest draw of Abu Dhabi’s Big Ticket lottery, becoming the winner of one of the biggest prizes offered by the draw.
Shaukat Aftab was in Pakistan when Big Ticket officials called him to deliver the news. Unable to believe that he had won such a huge amount, he initially thought the call might be a scam or fraud.
The organisers then asked him to verify his ticket number 245556 on the official lottery website and check the live draw results. After confirming the details, Aftab realised that he had actually won the Dh15 million jackpot.
Aftab has reportedly been purchasing Big Ticket entries regularly for around 15 years, making his remarkable win the result of years of continued participation.
The latest draw also brought good fortune to several other participants. Four Indian nationals and one Bangladeshi national each won Dh100,000 prizes. An Indian participant, Ravindranathan Vaneesh, also won a Land Rover Defender in the Dream Car draw.
Aftab’s extraordinary win has turned his long-standing habit of buying lottery tickets into a life-changing fortune. He is now expected to decide how best to use and invest the prize money, while also considering helping others with his newfound wealth.