Indian, Pakistani expats win $1 million each in Dubai Duty Free draw
Luxury BMW and Ducati also claimed in Finest Surprise promotion
DUBAI – An Indian businessman based in Sharjah and a Pakistani finance manager living in Dubai have been announced as the latest $1 million winners in the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire draw held on Wednesday at Dubai International Airport.
Their victories came in consecutive Millennium Millionaire series after both purchased their tickets online on July 3.
The draw also produced two more winners in the Finest Surprise promotion, with luxury prizes including a BMW X6 M Competition and a Ducati Panigale V2S motorbike.
Life-changing wins
Mohammed Ayyubuddin, a 45-year-old Indian entrepreneur from Hyderabad, won $1 million in Millennium Millionaire Series 549 with ticket number 4144. A resident of Sharjah since 2006, he operates a light fittings business and has been taking part in the promotion for the past eight to 10 years.
Speaking after learning of his win, Ayyubuddin said he had felt for the previous two days that he was going to win. Thanking Dubai Duty Free, he encouraged others to keep trying, saying persistence could eventually pay off.
A father of four, Ayyubuddin became the 280th Indian national to win the Millennium Millionaire promotion since its launch in 1999. Indian nationals continue to be the largest purchasers of tickets in the scheme.
The second millionaire was Hira Nayyer, a 38-year-old Pakistani assistant finance manager based in Dubai. Originally from Lahore, she won $1 million in Millennium Millionaire Series 550 with ticket number 1387.
Luxury prizes
A first-time participant, Nayyer said she decided to enter after a colleague introduced her to the promotion. She chose a ticket number that closely matched her Chartered Accountant membership number.
Nayyer is the 29th Pakistani national to win the Millennium Millionaire prize since 1999.
Following the millionaire draw, Dubai-based German national Luca S. won a BMW X6 M Competition in Finest Surprise Series 1957 with ticket number 1738. Meanwhile, Mohammed Rashid, a 34-year-old Indian resident of Ajman who works as an insurance broker in Dubai, won a Ducati Panigale V2S motorbike in Finest Surprise Series 671. Rashid has been participating in the promotion for nearly three years.