Dh25 million Big Ticket winner in Sharjah was jobless, feels his life is ‘surreal’

Mangalore Today /gulfnews

Dubai, December 05, 2024: Lady luck smiled on Sharjah resident Aravind Appukuttan at the most unexpected time. The 30-year-old winner of the Dh25 million Big Ticket grand prize is currently unemployed and was hoping to secure a new job soon.

“This has been unbelievable. I couldn’t sleep because of the excitement. God has showered His blessings at the most crucial time in my life,” Appukuttan told Gulf News after winning the jackpot in Series 269, held in Abu Dhabi.

“I resigned from my job and am planning to move to another company. The position hasn’t been confirmed yet. So, as of today, I don’t have a job,” said Appukuttan, an Indian expat from Kerala who has lived in the UAE for the past five years.

“My wife has a job. We were out shopping when the grand prize was being announced. A friend called to inform me that I had won, but I didn’t believe him. Later, the Big Ticket hosts called. It felt surreal. It’s still sinking in,” said Appukuttan, the last Big Ticket grand prize winner of 2024.

Appukuttan is part of a 20-member group that has been trying its luck for years.

“I joined this group only two years ago. We were all working in the same company and have been buying tickets together ever since. I was hopeful that this time luck would smile on me. This is the first time we’ve won,” said Appukuttan, who had been working as a salesman.

“All of us come from middle-income families. We’re all in our early 30s. One of us just got married, many are in the process of building homes, and several others have loans to settle,” said Appukuttan.

Initially, Appukuttan had hoped to buy tickets with numbers matching his birthdate. However, when he couldn’t find them, he settled for the number 447363, which led to his unexpected windfall.