Watch: Two Indian expats win $1 million each in Dubai Duty Free draw
Draw at Concourse B also awarded luxury BMW and Ducati motorbikes
DUBAI – Two Indian nationals living in Dubai have each become dollar millionaires after winning $1 million in the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire draws.
The draws for Series 522 and Series 523 took place live at Concourse B, Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport, in front of an audience and senior members of Dubai Duty Free’s management team.
A birthday surprise
The first winning ticket, number 2242 from Series 522, belonged to Atul Rao, an Indian banker based in Dubai. Rao, who has lived between the UAE and Oman since 1998, purchased his lucky ticket in-store while travelling through the airport on his birthday.
“When I got the call, I thought it was a prank,” Rao said. “It only sank in when I checked the Dubai Duty Free website myself.” He has been buying tickets regularly since 2012, spending nearly Dh50,000 over the years on raffle entries. “This win is proof that patience really pays off,” he said.
Second lucky winner
Moments later, the second $1 million winner was announced for Series 523, with ticket number 3047 belonging to Ansad, another Indian national living in Dubai who also purchased his ticket in-store.
The draw, conducted by Dubai Duty Free’s Managing Director Ramesh Kadambi and team members, was streamed live on the retailer’s official social media channels, drawing over 100,000 views and 4,600 reactions online.
Motorbike prizes
The event also featured two Finest Surprise draws for high-end motorbikes. The first, Series 643, saw Australian national Gulan from Perth win a BMW S1000R, while Series 644 awarded a Ducati Panigale V2 to Jarno from the Netherlands, who had purchased his ticket online.
Dubai Duty Free officials congratulated all winners during the live broadcast, closing the event by teasing the next draw scheduled soon at the airport.