Two first-time ticket buyers found themselves catapulted into the millionaire’s club in an exciting turn of events at the Dubai International Airport on Wednesday. The latest Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire and Finest Surprise draw unveiled Rupa Harish Dhawan, a 49-year-old Indian homemaker, and Nana Kakihara, a 30-year-old Japanese chemical company employee, as the newest millionaires.
Rupa, who was returning to Mumbai from Dubai after celebrating her 25th wedding anniversary, won $1 million with ticket number 2869, bought on January 28. “It was a big thing for me, I never had luck or won such kind. I can’t believe that with my first ever ticket to Dubai Duty Free my life will change. I will forever thank Dubai Duty Free for this,” she expressed.
Nana Kakihara, who purchased her winning ticket on her way to a honeymoon in the Maldives, echoed the sentiment of disbelief and gratitude. Winning with ticket number 4429, she plans to buy a new car and travel the world with her family.
The draw also announced winners of three luxury cars and two motorbikes. Among the winners were Hameed Abdulla Yousuf, a 78-year-old Bahraini who won a BMW X6 M60i xDrive, and Michael Konrad Steinhoefel, a Swiss bank risk manager, who took home a Mercedes Benz S500. Other winners included Rashmi R., Seamus Louis, and Neena Joseph, who won luxury vehicles and motorbikes.