After 27 years of persistently purchasing Dubai Duty Free raffle tickets, a 49-year-old Indian expatriate in Dubai has finally struck it rich. Mohame Mohamedbatcha, one of two lucky winners in the recent Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire draw held on Wednesday, secured a $1 million prize.
Living in Dubai for the past 20 years, Mohamedbatcha, a senior officer at a local bank, expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thank you Dubai Duty Free for this very timely win.” He had bought his winning ticket online on June 5.
Notably, Mohamedbatcha is the 231st Indian national to win in the Millennium Millionaire promotion since its inception in 1999.
The other big winner in the draw was Ye Shin-kyu, a 46-year-old South Korean national residing in Seoul. Ye, the first South Korean to win the jackpot, has been a regular participant in the promotion for over five years. He purchased his winning ticket on May 21, while returning to South Korea. An elated Ye remarked, “I’m very surprised! Thank you so much Dubai Duty Free.”
In addition to the Millennium Millionaire draw, the Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise draw also took place, awarding one luxury car and two motorbikes.
Mathias Fernandes, a 44-year-old Indian expat in Dubai, won a BMW 740i M Sport (Tanzanite Blue Metallic) car. This win marks Fernandes’ second major victory in the Dubai Duty Free promotions, having previously won a Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe in July 2009. Reflecting on his win, Fernandes, who works at an architectural firm and is a father of two, said, “I’m always grateful to Dubai Duty Free, as they have the best products and promotions.”
The winners of the motorbike prizes included Naveed Akhtar, a Pakistani national based in the UAE, who won a BMW F 900 XR (Black Storm Metallic) motorbike, and Devesh Mukesh Dave, an Indian expat in Dubai, who secured an Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1100 (Time Attack) motorbike.